


Action and Thought

by Durrant



Category: Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Dubious Consent, Knotting, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-17
Updated: 2013-04-18
Packaged: 2017-11-29 14:22:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 41,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/687971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Durrant/pseuds/Durrant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John Blake has always struggled to be a good beta, but after being held prisoner by Bane he begins to realise quite how futile a struggle its all been. Lied to and drugged for most of his life he might, finally, find peace if he can accept his own Omega nature.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Unlike any beta

John could taste his own breath as he tried to inhale deeply, the cloth covering his face was thick and the air he breathed in was hot and humid. He could hear voices, but couldn’t make out any words. He should be planning how to escape, should be getting as much information about the construction work that he and the Commissioner had just seen; instead he was on his knees with a bag over his head. Worse, he had been dragged through water and he knew that as soon as he got wet all the products he lathered on every morning were completely useless. He was about to die, and he couldn’t even do it as a real man. 

Gunshots rang out, again and again. Even though John’s face was covered he squeezed his eyes shut. The guns were nearby, surely this was the end? He always thought that he would like to meet death head on, to die for something that he believed. Instead he was going to be killed in a sewer, investigating some nameless maniac. This must be how Jimmy had died, working down here for this madman. How many other St Swithin’s boys had come down here looking for work? 

A hand gripped the back of his collar and he was pulled upwards. He struggled to find his feet, he didn’t want to trip; he struggled to calm his breathing down, he didn’t want the rapid movement of his chest to give away his fear. He was going to die like the proper beta that he’d always tried to be.

Whoever was holding him up was talking, but his voice was too soft for John to make out any words. The bag was taken off his head and John had to blink quickly at the sudden brightness. 

“- smelled him.” John caught the end of his captors sentence, but it was meaningless as he focused instead on the man standing in front of him. He was big, bare-chested and more muscles than John thought were possible, but his face was almost entirely covered by a metal mask. It looked hideous, like metal teeth bared in a permanent snarl. 

The man walked closer, until he was looking down into John’s face. He put a hand on John’s cheek and pushed his head down and to the side, then slowly leaned down into John’s exposed neck. This close John could hear the man’s mechanised breathing. One slow mechanical inhalation and then the cold metal scraped John’s neck, sending a shiver down his body. He couldn’t control his breathing now, this was too strange and he no longer cared if they saw how scared he was. Was this man smelling him? Or was that metal mask about to bite him?

“What the hell are you doing?” John desperately wanted to sound angry, but he couldn’t quite stop the quiver in his voice.  
“You did well Barsad.” The man said not raising his head from John’s neck. The voice was loud and had an accent the John didn’t recognise. Hands were rifling through his pockets, skimming over his body, but there was a gentleness to the search that made the situation even more surreal. 

“Officer Robin Blake.” The man had finished his search and was looking through John’s wallet.  
“You are indeed lucky that we found you. Although I understand that you may not feel the same.”

“What the hell is going on? Where is Commissioner Gordon?” John’s voice raising as he gained confidence by asking questions. They hadn’t killed him immediately, what did that mean? 

The eyes that John glared into were surprisingly human and expressive, contrasting with the harsh metal and leather of his mask. John wasn’t sure but something seemed wrong about his smell as well, John could barely sense it but there was something about this man’s odor that was unlike any beta he’d ever met. 

The man ignored his questions and nodded over John’s shoulder to the man holding him. There was movement behind him and then complete darkness.


	2. Seen as a Proper Beta

He woke in a dark room, lying on his side on a thin mattress. His hands were tied together and tethered by a long rope to a pipe close to his head. The man who had been standing behind him during his encounter with the masked man must have knocked him out. There was a small lamp in the corner of the room, but John didn’t think the rope that bound him to the wall was long enough to let him get that far. He had an inkling that he had been out for some time, he felt surprisingly well, even his bound wrists felt alright. He even felt rested, but if he’d slept then that meant he should be taking his pills now. He’d never missed a morning since he’d first come to the orphanage and Father Reilly had taken him to be diagnosed. He needed them, because without them he had no chance of being seen as a proper beta. 

He had to get out of here, he had to take his pills and he had to find out just what exactly was going on down here. In fact, he realised guiltily, him not taking his pills was hardly relevant next to the fact the Commissioner was probably dead, and that so much was happening in the sewers. He had to find out what was going on, he knew that the older boys from St Swithin’s knew that the sewers were a good place to find work. They must have been getting construction jobs to judge by the little that John had seen before the bag had been put over his head. 

So all he had to was escape the rope binding him, get of this room, find a way through sewers filled with armed men and street kids, report to headquarters and then somehow get to his apartment so he could take his pill. He snorted softly to himself. 

He raised his hands to get a closer look at the knot in the rope that was holding his wrists, but as he did so he realised that there was a thin sheet covering his body. It was white, and looked cleaner and of much better quality than the thin mattress that he was lying on. It definitely wouldn’t keep him warm, and John felt like laughing at the oddly kind gesture of leaving him a nice sheet, while he lay on a shitty mattress. None of this made any sense, but this had to be a clue. Why leave someone tied up, in a dirty cell on a dirty uncomfortable mattress but then cover them with a much nicer sheet? 

The sheet smelled good. Like it had been freshly laundered with a detergent that John vaguely recognised. Perhaps it was the same brand as his parents, or some early foster family, had used. He couldn’t place it, but he knew that something about that smell was good; reminded him of a time he’d been happy. If he could just keep lying here and smell it for a bit longer he knew that he would remember. 

* * *

The key rattled in the lock on the other side of the door. Someone was coming in here and all he had done was lie here smelling a sheet! He hadn’t even inspected the knots in the ropes yet!

A man stood in the doorway staring down at him. It wasn’t the man with the mask, but then John realised with dismay that he was the only one he’d got a good look at. He wouldn’t even be able to identify his original captors. 

“Who are you? Why are you keeping me here?” John asked angrily, as the man came into the room carrying a tray of food in front of him. 

“Barsad,” the man said, slowly approaching the bed and putting the food tray down on the floor as John scrambled to sit up. “You will eat now and I will return in one hour to take you to the bathroom.” 

“Barsad! It was you who knocked me out!” John realised indignantly

“Yes, you will eat now.” The man repeated calmly and then moved swiftly out of the cell, locking the door behind him. 

So, he had an hour. Then he would be able to escape, all he had to do was overpower Barsad when he came to take him to the toilet. Settling his head against the wall he wondered how he would attack Barsad, it would probably be best to wait until the man had untied him and taken him out of this cell. Looking over at the tray that Barsad had left he saw a glass of water and a bowl of lumpy soup. He agonised over whether to touch the food, it could so easily be poisoned. It was so difficult to concentrate when he could still smell the sheet around him, it seemed to relax him and this was definitely not a time when he should be calm. He angrily kicked the sheet off him and tried to think clearly. 

Except now he was realising quite how hungry he was. The soup smelled delicious and John wondered again how long he had been passed out for if he felt this hungry. That meant it was even longer since he’d last taken his pill, and without his body wash he wouldn’t even smell like a beta. No wonder Barsad would barely talk to him, if he smelled like a beta should, then he would have been shown more respect.


	3. Finding Your Way

In the end, he ate the food that Barsad had left. It was still warm by the time he’d eventually decided it was safe to eat. The soup was thick with bits of disintegrated vegetables and small flakes of meat, it was the sort of meal he’d been given in the orphanage. Something made in a big communal pot and left to cook for hours. What did that say about how many people were working down here? If they had to cook in large quantities did that mean that they fed all the workers down here? John shook his head, right now his priority had to be getting out of here; later, when he reported back to headquarters, he could analyse what all this meant. 

He heard the key in the lock long before he thought his hour was up. Barsad stood in the doorway watching him silently, he wasn’t even carrying a weapon, although he must have something concealed on him. 

“You should drink more water, it will help you recover more quickly,” Barsad said, gesturing down to the still half-filled water glass. Kneeling next to the mattress, he carefully reached for John’s wrists and began to undo the knot in between his hands, the one that kept him tethered to the wall. John tried to see if Barsad had any weapon on him, but he couldn’t see anything. 

“Come,” Barsad commanded, standing. John swung his feet off the bed and slowly got to his feet, his muscles starting to complain. Barsad was standing closer to him than he was comfortable with, almost as if he were preparing to catch John should he fall. His blue eyes held a strange expression, if John had seen that look on anyone else he would have said they looked concerned. But this was the thug who had knocked him unconscious and held him captive.

Barsad took hold of his elbow and walked John out of the room, into a dingy, poorly lit corridor with a few other doors that looked identical to the one he’d just exited. Barsad soon opened a door and pushed him forward. Inside was a grimy sink and a squalid toilet; a fluorescent light hummed and flickered above the sink but the space where a mirror should be was empty. John didn’t linger. 

Barsad was leaning against the wall opposite the bathroom door. He nodded to John and seemed to just be waiting patiently for him. The thought that John posed so little risk, that his enemies could be so relaxed around him was infuriating, but also useful. John glanced around the corridor casually; his attack would be a complete surprise to Barsad. He clenched his bound hands into fists and swung them towards Barsad’s face with an explosion of strength. He knew how to punch well; academy instructors and his own obsessive gym training guaranteed that, despite the fact that he had to use both hands. Even with his pills he couldn’t ever seem to develop muscles with the ease of a normal betas, but that had just made him work harder.

His punch never even landed, Barsad deflected him. For a second John was thrown by how fast and how completely it had been done. He didn’t question why Barsad hadn’t retaliated, just started swinging again. Everything was deflected with ease, the man looked as relaxed as he had before John’s first punch.

“Fight back!” John yelled, panting and already slightly winded while his opponent just quirked his lips into the smallest of smiles.

“You attack like a bigger man.” Barsad answered him, and John was so overwhelmed with anger that he didn’t even think as he let out an inarticulate yell of frustrated rage. But this time Barsad did more than deflect his punch, and although John felt his body moving he didn’t know what was happening until he was lying on the floor with Barsad using both hands to keep him down.

“You should fight like the man that you are, not the one you wish to be.” Barsad said from behind again, although this time he sounded rather sad. He released John, who stood warily. The two stood in silence while John caught his breath.

“It is time to return. I will fetch more water for you. If you drink, you will feel better sooner.” Barsad said as he walked John back to cell. He tied John's wrists to the wall again and took the food tray away, locking the door behind him as he left. He seemed oddly solicitous that John recover, when it had been Barsad who had knocked him out. Then, of course, Barsad was obviously a skilled fighter and could have really injured John before, but chose not to. For some reason his captors didn’t want him unduly damaged, which gave John a distinct advantage because he certainly wouldn’t mind unduly damaging them. 

* * *

Barsad was at the door again, this time carrying a jug of water. 

“Please. Untie me.” An indecipherable look crossed Barsad’s face and then faded so that he looked utterly blank. Maintaining eye contact with John he lowered the water jug onto the floor and then a single nod of his head. Barsad stood and, although John thought that he had moved slowly enough that John had seen his every movement, somehow Barsad had managed to pull a knife from somewhere. 

Barsad stood above him and cut through the rope tethering John to the pipe. The second it was cut John attacked again. This time he didn’t care about throwing his fists, he just aimed for Barsad’s knees and groin. It was humiliating how quickly Barsad had him rolled over onto his stomach and unable to carry on attacking. Again Barsad didn’t use his body weight to hold John down, but pinned him with his hands, as if he didn’t really want to touch John. Then John felt Barsad pulling the white sheet over his head and around his body. As much as John knew he should keep on fighting he couldn’t help but smell the sheet again. It must be some kind of drug because all the fight left him as smelled it. 

“You are recovering well, little brother. You shall not have to stay here long,” Barsad said. John froze, why the hell was this man calling him little brother? Were these people simply insane? He had no idea how to respond, but the key was already rattling in the lock. If the man was empathising with him then surely he could persuade Barsad to release him? He had untied him just because John had asked, and didn’t seem overly offended that John had attacked him twice now.

* * *

John explored the cell, but there really wasn’t anything there. He did drink the water, if only to appease his potential ally. It had been hours and he needed the bathroom again, but there was no sign of Barsad. Instead he decided to lie down and doze until Barsad came back for him. At least it would be easy to relax with his drugged blanket. 

Barsad was shaking his arm as John woke up slowly. He’d fallen asleep and couldn’t seem to wake up properly. 

“Barsad?”

“Yes, little brother.”

“I need the bathroom again” John said, trying to keep his eyes open, and hearing how his own words were slurred. “Did you drug me?”

“No, this is a sign of your suppressants leaving your body. This is good news. Now you may leave this room.”

“Suppressants? You gave me suppressants?” John was so tired and Barsad wasn’t making any sense. Although Barsad looked just as confused, from what John could make out. 

“Robin, you must stand.” Barsad was trying to get him to stand and John let himself be set upon his feet and led from the room. He felt more awake as the cool air of the corridor hit his face. Barsad was holding onto his elbow but was leading him away from the bathroom that he’d been taken to before. They turned into another corridor that gradually widened into a large hall. Men were sitting at tables in a far corner, eating what looked like the same soup John had eaten earlier. Other people were milling around, but John couldn’t make out exactly what they were doing. He just wanted to sit down. Even in this state John could tell that he was the centre of attention. Everyone had turned to look at him, some seemed angry but most just seemed interested in staring at him. 

“It is not far.” Barsad spoke softly as he led him down another corridor, one that looked substantially cleaner than the one they’d just come from. Barsad opened a door for him and led him to an actual bed. 

“Sleep. The bathroom is through that door,” Barsad pointed at another door but John was already lying on the bed. The whole room smelled like the sheet in his cell had. In fact this whole bed did, John just wanted to close his eyes and relax into that wonderful smell. He was completely surrounded by it and it was the best thing he’d ever felt. 

* * *

John opened his eyes. He must have fallen asleep, because Barsad had gone and the door to the corridor was closed. John assumed it was locked, but right now he had to use the bathroom. Getting up he looked around and saw that this room was definitely not a cell. It had a lived-in feel. There was a bookshelf, a television, a desk and a couple of chairs. The bathroom had a shower, a mirror and a light that worked. John had totally lost track of time, but he was surprised by how well his reflection looked. He contemplated having a shower, but decided that it wasn’t worth the hassle while his wrists were still bound. 

The door to the corridor had been locked, so John decided to turn on the TV. At least he could get some news of what was going on above. Find out whether the Commissioner’s body had been found and, perhaps, see if his own disappearance was mentioned. Sitting down on the large armchair in front of the television he felt like something was missing. He got up and got a pillow from the bed, one that smelled so delicious and sat back to watch. 

Commissioner Gordon was alive. Had he been released? Had he managed to escape the same sort of cell that John had been kept in? John had always admired Gordon, and his survival seemed to prove his infallibility. There was nothing about any missing police officers, certainly nothing about any rescue attempts being launched to find him. 

He watched until the reporters started repeating news, then he switched the TV off and lay down on the bed. He had no idea how anything could smell so good, but whenever he got out of here he was going to buy every detergent that he could find in Gotham until he found this brand. It was perfect. 

He woke again when the door opened. The masked man was standing at the foot of the bed, staring down at him with amused eyes. 

“I see you’ve finally found your way to my bed, little Robin.”


	4. A Blissful Hold

He hadn’t even thought about lying down in this bed, but the way the masked man spoke made it seem like some kind of innuendo. He had no idea what the hell was going here, but now he was going to try and get some answers.

“Who are you?” John asked, as he sat up. 

“You may call me Bane,” the man rumbled, his voice deeper than John remembered it being. 

John couldn’t help but stare at the man; there were so many questions that needed answering, but John felt overwhelmed by the sheer physicality of the man.

“What do you want with me?” The words slipped out of John as his confusion overrode his need for information about what Bane was doing in the sewers or the fate of Commissioner Gordon. 

“I am here to set you free, little Robin” Bane said, the words making no sense to John but he recognised the glint in the man’s eyes that showed he was a fanatic. 

“How are you going to do that?” Asked John, his fear had lessened the longer that his captors kept him, but here, now, trapped in this room with this madman, all his fears returned. 

“Calm yourself. You will experience some discomfort as your body adjusts to being free of the suppressants.” 

“I don’t take suppressants! I don’t know what you are talking about!” John said, standing up from the bed; Bane still towered above him. He knew that somehow these people had made some kind of dreadful mistake about him, and he desperately wanted to know what they thought they knew about him. 

Bane didn’t appear to care that John seemed to be getting angrier. He just stared down at him. 

“You have done well, hiding your true nature, but now that is no longer necessary. I am an alpha and I have searched for many years to find an omega. You are the second I have ever seen.”

John felt his mouth hanging open in some ridiculous caricature of astonishment. He had heard of alphas before; they were incredibly rare, an older type of human that were stronger and tougher than betas. He had never heard of omegas though. 

“I think you’ve made a mistake. I’m not an omega! I’ve never even heard of them before.”

For the first time Bane seemed to react to John’s words. His expression hardened and he walked towards John; who tried to back away from him, but Bane caught his chin and held his face so that he was looking up into Bane’s eyes, which he could only just see over the muzzle of his mask. 

“It seems strange that someone who has never heard of omegas should be taking a pill everyday that prevents the scent and heats of an omega. It seems strange that a beta would need to use so many cosmetics that fake the scent of betas.”

“I have a condition, okay?” John yelled, trying to turn his face away, but Bane’s grip on him was too sure, and he couldn’t break away. “I’m not an omega, I’m just a faulty beta.”

Bane was staring down at him, but the look in his eyes was completely unreadable

“Who told you that you were a faulty beta? Who provided you with the pills?” Bane asked, his voice calmer than before, and almost entirely with inflection. 

“I..Why? What does it matter? A doctor, a doctor told me, okay, so you’re wrong. I don’t know what an omega is, but I definitely know that I am not one. I’m a beta. You’d know I was a beta if you hadn’t been keeping me prisoner down here and stopping me from taking my pills, not suppressants, just medication.”

Bane was still holding onto his chin, but look in his eyes was almost gentle as he gazed at John. 

John had found the glint of fanaticism less scary. 

“You have been held prisoner all your life, caged in by lies. Shower and wash away the last pretences of your old life.” Bane said, gesturing towards the bathroom. John had no idea what to do, the whole situation was surreal, he had no wish to be naked in this man’s rooms. He had no wish to remove the last traces of beta scent. 

Bane released his chin, untied the rope that bound John's wrists and stepped back. 

“Strip,” he commanded, with a hint of impatience.

“What? No! You don’t understand - ” John was yelling and his voice was higher, becoming shrill as he was suddenly filled with panic. He’d expected to be killed, he’d expected pain, he’d prepared himself for those things. But he could not strip in front of this man and he could feel himself hyperventilating, panting with fear.

“I understand that you stink of the beta lies you have been fed all your life.” Bane growled at him, approaching again. This time he didn’t grab at John’s chin, instead he slipped his hand to the back of John’s neck. His large hand pressed into John and the strangest thing happened. John could feel his entire body relax, and even his breathing seemed to calm down. He could feel his heart rate slowing down as the shock of adrenaline left him and his mind became hazy with a sense of bliss. 

“Strip,” Bane repeated, his voice sounding gentle despite the mask. John knew that this command should scare him, but he couldn’t remember why. It was so difficult to think when he felt so incredibly relaxed. He reached up and began to undo the buttons of his shirt. 

Bane circled round him, keeping his hand pressed into the back of John’s neck, until he stood directly behind him. John bent to take off his shoes and socks, Bane followed so that his hand never left John’s neck. 

Finally John was standing there in just his underpants, and he could feel the panic setting in again. It felt like there was something incredibly important that he just couldn’t quite remember, a reason why he couldn’t be naked in front of anyone. But before he could worry about it, Bane had tightened his grip and all John’s thoughts were pushed aside in a wave of calm. He removed his underpants and stood entirely naked, with Bane directly behind him.

“You have pleased me, my omega. Now shower and return to me.” Bane said, releasing his neck and pushing him lightly towards the bathroom. As soon as Bane removed his hand John felt normal again, and with a squeak of embarrassment, raced for the bathroom door. 

He quickly started the shower and got in; there was no lock on the bathroom door, but there was a shower curtain, so getting behind that quickly was John’s best hope of covering himself. His mind still seemed foggy, and he couldn’t think beyond his own nakedness and his reasons for hating it. He had always managed to avoid being naked in front of people. That had been the third time he’d been naked in front of anyone. The other times had been with women, in the only two sexual encounters he’d ever dared undertake. 

When he was seventeen he’d met Linda. She had lived three blocks from the orphanage and the two of them would smile at each other in the street. Finally John had plucked up the courage to talk to her. Not to ask her out or anything, that had taken months of quiet flirtation that would make John dissolve into cold sweats of fear.

They had officially been a couple for a month before they did anything but hold hands. None of the other kids at the boys home seemed to understand how important it had been to John, all the boys his age had been having girlfriends for years. For John this was his chance to be a real beta and a proper man. 

Her parents had gone away for the weekend and she had invited him over. They had sat on her parents couch, ordered pizza and watched a movie; it had been nice. Then they had started making out, and all the things that the other boys said didn’t seem to be true. Kissing was nice, but it wasn’t that great. Her breasts just seemed to hang there, like lumps of fat, and no matter how much he touched them he couldn’t make himself be interested in them.

Linda had suggested they go to her bedroom, and John had agreed, dazed with how quickly this was happening and excited that he might, finally, stop being the only virgin out of all his friends. 

The sex was awkward. He hadn’t really cared, because everyone said that your first time was bad. Well, everyone that he trusted to be honest with him. So, he’d left the next morning, not particularly worried. Then Linda refused to see him again; she wouldn’t answer his phone calls and would cross the street if she saw him. She never said why, but John knew then that must be something else wrong with him. His condition had long been diagnosed, but he hadn’t realised that there was anything else different about him.

It was three, long years before he worked up the courage to approach a woman with anything sexual in mind. He had decided that he would try and have a one night stand. This time, have no emotional attachment to the women, so if things went wrong it wouldn’t hurt so much. 

He’d agonised over his appearance before heading out to a seedy bar that was packed full of people desperate to get drunk and get laid. It had been surprisingly easy to flirt his way into persuading Carol to come back to his apartment. 

They’d fallen drunkenly onto his bed and were both quickly naked. Except, one minute Carol was all over him and the next she was moving away. Laughing at him. She told him that with a cock like his it really wouldn’t be worth her time, that she was going back to the bar to pick up someone else. 

John had just stayed lying there, staring up at the ceiling, until finally he got up to lock the front door of the apartment behind Carol. 

So that was sex, that was being naked in front of someone else. John had sworn it would never happen to him again. 

John sighed and tried to relax again. The shower water was only luke warm and there was barely any pressure to it. He had no idea what Bane had done to him, but he knew that somehow Bane’s touch had relaxed him. He had no idea how, but he couldn’t allow that to happen again. He knew he had to concentrate on finding a way to escape, and if Bane could get him to relax like that with merely a touch then he’d never find a way out. John tried to avoid thinking about how good it had felt, how he had never felt so relaxed. 

John put it from his mind, and began to think about the other things that Bane had said.These people were, without question, insane; but they were not stupid. There was infrastructure down here, things had been organised and, no matter how crazy their eventual goal, they were obviously capable of being rational. Which meant all the odd things that Bane, and Barsad, had said to him must actually mean something. If he could just work out what they were thinking. 

Bane had smelled John, when he had first met him. Barsad had barely spoken to him, but then as the effects of his pills waned Barsad had spoken more, treated him more kindly and had even untied him. Which was weird, because without the pills to nullify his natural scent he knew that people found his smell distasteful and tended to be quite aggressive. So perhaps Barsad believed, as Bane did, that John was an omega.

John could hardly believe that these people could be so blind as to think him an omega. It was utterly ridiculous, he knew what he was. A doctor had told him, and he had a prescription that he got filled every month to help him be a better beta - he had a condition, he wasn’t an entirely different species. Of course, when they realised that he wasn’t an omega they would probably kill him, so John decided that he should play along, for now.


	5. Sleep Interrupted

John wrapped the slightly grimy towel around his waist and wondered what he should do now. As tempting as it was to hide in the bathroom, eventually Bane would probably just come in here, he’d rather face the man on his own terms.

He pulled open the bathroom door and stepped back out into the bedroom. At first he thought Bane must have left, because he couldn’t see him. Then a hand fell on the back of his neck, and for the split second before John was once again flooded with blissful calm, he remembered that he hadn’t checked his corners.

Bane untucked the towel from John’s waist with one hand and threw it back into the bathroom. John stood in front of him again, as naked as he had been before, and once again utterly calm about his state of undress.

“Lie down,” Bane pushed him gently towards the bed, and John was feeling too calm to worry about what the order meant, or even think of any reason to disobey Bane. 

As John lay down Bane’s hand left him, and his panic rushed back. Not only was he naked, but he was now lying down in this man’s bed. John had been feeling so scared of just getting naked in front of Bane that he hadn’t even considered what Bane would do to him once he was naked.

“Calm yourself. Nothing will happen to you that you do not request,” Bane said, clearly able to see the fear on John’s face. John couldn’t remember having requested being kept prisoner and forced to lie naked on some man’s bed, but he supposed that Bane meant he wasn’t going to rape him. John tried to take comfort from that.

Bane sat on the bed next to him, and before John could shuffle away, he placed a heavy hand on John’s chest. Bane’s eyes scanned his upper body, tracing the muscles that John had worked so hard to gain with his eyes, and then softly stroking them with his fingertips. 

“You have laboured hard to look like those around you, but it has been in vain.”

His large hand fell onto John’s small, soft cock.

“This is how you were meant to be.”

John could feel his eyes widening and an angry blush spreading across his cheeks and onto his chest. He was so exposed; he knew he was weaker and smaller than other men, but that was his secret. He hid those truths about himself away, by never letting anyone see him naked and by an almost religious dedication to the gym. Anger and humiliation coursed through him and he had to close his eyes from the sheer frustration of being so completely trapped. 

“My poor little Robin, you have been taught that you are abnormal. You have been drugged and brainwashed so that you might never achieve your true glory.”

“Stop fucking touching me!”

Bane didn’t move his hand, instead he lay down on his side, next to John. Bane was still fully dressed, but he pulled a sheet over both of them.

John turned to look at him, but instantly realised how close their faces now were and went to turn away again. Except he couldn’t, because he suddenly realised what the sheet that had been left in John’s room before had smelled of. It smelled of Bane. It must have been his bed sheet, because it was a concentrated version, but it was definitely him.

John turned his head away from Bane and started breathing through his mouth so the scent would affect him less. Bane’s hand left his crotch and slid up, slowly trailing across his stomach until his arm fell over John’s chest in a parody of an embrace. 

“You do not understand what it is to be an omega. I shall tell you a story, the story of the only other omega I have ever met.” Bane paused, as if waiting for John to urge him on. John glanced back at him and nodded sharply, he did, after all, need all the information on omegas he could get if he was going to pretend to be one. 

“I was born in darkness, in a prison they call the Pit. I did not see the sun, the moon, the mountains, not even a flower, until I was already a man. As a boy I had never seen anything that was beautiful. Until, one day, an omega was lowered into the Pit. Can you imagine what it is to suddenly look at a person and know, for the first time, that not everything in this world is ugly? I realised that then, just as I knew that the omega would be destroyed in the Pit. Nothing good could live there and survive.

I was a child, barely six years old, but I fought to protect the omega. I had a small knife, and I managed to injure many men, but it was not enough. I was unsuccessful, I was locked in a cell while the omega was dragged away. For a month I sat in that cell, listening as he was raped again and again. Finally his heat came upon him. The men fought over him, who would use him through his heat, and in the confusion the omega was killed.”

Bane finished the story, his usually loud voice seemed oddly hushed. John knew that this was the key to his escape. Bane had shown more emotion telling it than at any other time, and somehow John doubted that anyone else had ever heard this story. Bane might be stronger than him but for some reason he was letting John see another side to him and John was not going to let that advantage slip away. They lay in silence for a few minutes, both seemingly lost in thought.

“What’s a heat?” Whatever it was, John needed a way to fake it.

“I am glad that you will experience your first heats with me. In fact, perhaps we should be grateful to your suppressants. Without them, you will begin to have mini-heats, until your body has expelled the last traces of the suppressants and you will have proper heats.” John noted this was not an explanation of what heats were. He sighed, so much for getting information from Bane.

“What did the suppressants do?” John tried. 

“They suppressed your natural scent and stopped your heats.” John jerked his head round in surprise at receiving an actual answer. Except, Bane had already told him that, when he had thought John knew what the suppressants were. Which meant that Bane remembered what he’d told John earlier and was being careful about the information he gave out; Bane was clever. 

“Why would anyone bother? Why feed me suppressants all my life?” 

He looked Bane in the eye, but while John could see that his eyes were expressive their meaning was entirely lost on John.

“Now is not the time for that story. Do you remember a time before the suppressants?”

“Uh..yeah. I was diagnosed when I was twelve,” John said without thinking, before realising that he was pretending to agree that he was an omega; he shouldn’t talk about about being diagnosed. Looking up he saw there was amusement in Bane’s eyes, he had noticed John’s slip. 

“Do you remember how the betas reacted to your natural scent?”

“I guess.. I mean, people treated me differently before I started the pills, I mean..People would get angry, be more aggressive, with me.” John had never spoken about this to anyone, and now he was revealing his most personal thoughts to a man who was keeping him captive in the sewers. 

“Betas are often repulsed by the smell of young alphas and omegas; they do not find the scent of adult omega so unappealing. If you attempt to leave this room in the night, and you wake me up, I shall be displeased. If you successfully leave this room you will be confronted with a room full of betas, all of whom would be driven to desperation by your natural scent. It would be wisest if you did not attempt to escape tonight.”

John swallowed and nodded. Of course Bane knew that John would try and escape! Although he had no idea how much of a risk his new, natural scent actually posed. 

Bane turned away from him, releasing John entirely, as he moved to switch the lights off. The room was plunged into complete darkness, as there was no window or other source of light. Even if John decided that Bane’s warning about his new scent was false he doubted that he could leave the room without waking Bane. He’d have to scramble around trying to find the door without any light, although it was odd that Bane had given him a warning about trying to escape, rather than just lock the door. It was a more effective trap, John realised, he was choosing to stay in this room out of fear of what was out there. 

John breathed deeply, inhaling Bane’s scent. It still smelled good, delicious even, despite the fact that he now knew what it was. He wanted to be disgusted by it, but there was something addictive about it. 

He felt the mattress shift as Bane moved around. John stilled himself, lying on his back and trying to regulate his breathing. He didn’t want Bane to know the effect that his scent had on him. 

Bane moved closer towards him and put his arm across John’s chest. This time Bane was not content to let his arm rest there though, he pulled John towards him. John felt Bane’s strength for the first time, it didn’t feel like a man was trying to move him, but some sort of unstoppable machine that he was totally unable to resist. John was pulled close to Bane’s upper body, but Bane must have angled his lower body away from John as they didn’t touch anywhere else. 

John’s head fell into Bane’s neck, and even though John knew he should be avoiding smelling Bane’s scent, he couldn’t help it when he was so close. The smell was stronger at Bane’s neck, and John was forced to breathe it in. There was another smell too though, an oddly sterile, medicinal smell. John realised that it must be from the mask, because nothing human could produce such a smell.

However, Bane’s natural scent was delicious, still not as strong as the bed sheet had been, but still there was a goodness to it that gave John a sense of peace. John breathed deeply a few more times and before he knew it, he was asleep.

* * *

He woke to complete darkness and a hot body trapping him. Something had woken him up, but John wasn’t sure what it was. There was something wrong with his body. He thought about going to the bathroom, but he knew that wouldn’t really help. 

Bane was still holding him, and it was making John uncomfortable. Before Bane’s smell had comforted him, and even though he had been trapped by Bane’s side, at least it had been warm. Now everywhere that Bane touched him seemed prickly and wrong. John felt how cool the sheets around his legs felt and realised that he was too hot, he must have a fever. 

He tried to push Bane’s arm off him, but he wasn’t strong enough. He tried wriggling away from Bane, but even in his sleep Bane seemed to sense John’s intent and moved to keep him in place.

“Bane! Let me go!” John whispered loudly.

“Hush, little Robin.” Bane muttered, but John felt as Bane woke up more. His arm released John surprisingly quickly and then fell to John’s forehead.

“You are too hot.” Bane told him.

“Yeah, so let me go. I need some water.” 

“That is not what you need.” Bane said, but he rolled away from John and turned the lights on.

John stood and started walking towards the bathroom. The cold air felt good on his skin, so good that he was already in the bathroom, shutting the door before he realised that for the first time in his life he had been naked in front of someone and hadn’t even thought about it. 

John turned the tap on and splashed water on his face.

The cold water made him feel better, but his backside felt odd. He ran his hands over his lower back, but everything felt normal. His butt felt weird, almost like it was too relaxed. As John thought about it he imagined he could feel something wet between his thighs. He reached down and touched something slick. 

He stared at his fingers and rubbed them together. Whatever the liquid was it was clear and sticky. Bane must have done this to him. Bane had the ability to relax him somehow, and he must have used that ability on John, so that John had remained asleep while Bane had done whatever the hell he wanted with John’s body. 

Bane had sort of said that he wouldn’t rape John, but it had hardly been a guarantee. Sure, Bane had seemed to be upset when he’d talked about the other omega being raped, but maybe he was just upset that he hadn’t had a chance to rape the poor man too. 

John reached down between his legs and touched his asshole. He had never touched himself there before, but he was sure that it shouldn’t feel that loose. It felt sensitive too, John felt his whole body jolt with pleasure as he slipped a finger into himself. He felt disgusted with himself, he was trying to determine what Bane had done to him. 

John stood, splashed more water on his face and went to confront Bane.

* * *

“You did something to me. You said you wouldn’t do anything unless I asked you too. What exactly did you do?” John knew he couldn’t force Bane to answer him, but the fact that Bane had waited till John was asleep before molesting him had to be meaningful. Bane stood, he was still fully dressed, as he had been when he first lay down with John. 

“I am responsible for your current condition, but I have not touched you, little Robin. I have no reason to ever lie to you.” That was another confusing statement that John stored away to be analysed later. 

“Why do I feel hot? Have you drugged me?”

“This is your heat. It is not a true heat, it should pass quickly.” 

John nodded, and edged round the room so he was sitting on the chair in front of the TV. Bane might not admit what he had done, but there was no way that John was getting back in that bed with him. 

“I’m going to sleep here,” John said, trying to sound confident.

Bane sighed, but surprised John by returning to the bed and turning the lights off.

John sat as still as he could. He didn’t want to draw Bane’s attention. He knew he shouldn’t be surprised that Bane had done something like this. John knew that he wasn’t actually an omega, but the way that Bane had spoken earlier had made John feel like Bane was more than just some madmen. John was surprised at how disappointed he was.

Bane’s pillow was still on the chair, still smelling strongly of him. John sniffed, he was trying to be quiet, but he was naked and he felt betrayed by someone he should never have trusted in the first place. 

His butt was beginning to sting, and it made him shift uncomfortably in the chair. More of the lube that Bane had used came out of him, smearing across the chair and forcing him to sit in a wet patch. This was the most humiliating thing that had ever happened to him. John could feel the tears welling up in his eyes, he desperately didn’t want them to fall. Just because these lunatics thought he wasn’t a beta didn’t mean that he wasn’t one, beta men don’t cry and nor would John. 

John felt the first tear fall, and immediately the lights came back on. Bane moved so quickly that John was sure there must be a second light switch, because Bane was on his knees in front of him before John had even really registered the brightness of the room. 

“I swear to you, I have not touched you,” John couldn’t see the look in Bane’s eyes, but his voice sounded almost anguished through the metallic rasp. John wiped one hand across his eyes, to clear the tears and see Bane properly. 

Bane was kneeling before him, for a man whose body language had always screamed confidence to John, he seemed radically different. Bane’s whole body appeared smaller, no longer puffed up as he looked up at John with concern. 

“Yeah, thats why I’m covered in lube! You’re insane! I knew it! I knew it and I believed you anyway!” Bane knelt in silence, not reacting to John’s yells. Instead he reached up to John’s face and wiped a tear from his cheek. The skin where Bane touched him prickled and stung. John flinched away, but that was what Bane had been waiting for him to do. As John turned his head away, Bane’s hand slid back to cup the back of John’s neck.

“No!” John tried to cry out, he didn’t want Bane to do whatever he did that forced John to relax. He was angry and didn’t want to be calmed down, but he couldn’t move quickly enough. Bane’s hand was already in place and he felt the numbing calm flood him again. Except this time didn’t feel exactly the same as before; his mind was too hazy and he couldn’t get his thoughts in order, but this time he didn’t relax. Instead his body felt even hotter, and Bane’s hand felt wonderfully cooling. John felt his whole body focus on the way that Bane’s hand felt against him, he hadn’t realised before how intimate this was but this felt amazing. He wondered if the rest of Bane would feel this good.

John hadn’t realised when he closed his eyes, but he didn’t want to open them again; he needed to concentrate on how brilliant Bane’s hand felt. John lifted his hand to where Bane’s arm must be. After a blind search he felt his arm and grabbed onto it.

John gasped, Bane felt so wonderfully cool. Bane must have been expecting John to push him away, as John could feel the tension in him. But John had no intention of pushing him away, not when Bane felt so good. He opened his eyes. He couldn’t read the expression in Bane’s eyes, but Bane must have seen something in John’s eyes because the tension seemed to drain from him. 

“Come back to bed and I will take care of you.” Bane’s hand was still on his neck and John couldn’t remember why he had objected to getting back into the bed before. 

They both rose, but as John turned towards the bed the hand on his neck slipped off and his fears instantly re-emerged. He glanced at the door to the hallway. He doubted he would even be able to make it that far, Bane had shown himself stronger and faster than John. Although it was not lost on John that Bane had not used his physical superiority to hurt John, he doubted that would last long if he made such an obvious attempt at escape. 

John lay back in the bed, Bane returning to his side after getting the lights. Bane pulled him into the same position they’d been in before and pulled the sheet over them. Bane’s embrace didn’t feel too hot this time. In fact the skin of Bane’s arm against his naked chest felt unbelievably good. Almost good enough to distract from the discomfort in his ass. 

John shifted, trying to find a comfortable way to lie. He was surprised that Bane wasn’t keeping him pinned this time, and let him move freely. John rolled onto his side, facing away from Bane. It meant that Bane’s arm wasn’t touching his as much and without even thinking about John pushed back to touch his back to Bane.

This time their lower bodies pressed against each other and John could feel Bane’s erection. It felt hot against John and utterly massive, even through Bane’s clothes. John squeaked, leaping away and rolling to face Bane. John could feel his heart racing. 

Bane didn’t even move. Without Bane’s touch John felt the fever returning to him. The racing of his heart forced him to breath quickly, and he had to start panting to get enough air.

“You said you were responsible for my current condition. You know what’s happening to me.” John panted out, surprised at his own lucidity. The returning heat seemed to be worse in his ass, and he tried twisting his hips to alleviate the burn. 

“Yes”

“So you can stop it?” John asked. He reached down to feel between his legs. There seemed to be much more lube now than had been here before. He really didn’t want to do this in front of Bane, but the sheet was still covering him and the lights were off anyway, so the other man couldn’t know for sure what John was doing. 

John reached further round and felt his hole. It seemed looser than before, but John wasn’t sure. His finger felt around the rim, and he couldn’t stop himself from gasping; the skin was so sensitive and it felt incredible. John could feel his cock hardening.

“Yes. I can stop it.” Bane’s voice sounded strange, not as calm as before but John couldn’t recognise the emotion and didn’t really have the time to think about it.

“I need..” John paused, he didn’t know what he needed. He thought about how cooling Bane’s touch felt, and how the worst burning pain was inside him. Did he really want a man who had possibly molested him touching him? John burned, the fever seemed to be getting worse, he didn’t care anymore. This burning had to stop. It didn’t matter what Bane was going to do.

“Please, just make it stop.” 

John had expected that Bane would surge forward, triumphantly. Instead he edged towards John cautiously. One arm wrapped itself around John, whilst the other moved to John’s parted legs. 

The effect was instantaneous. The burning receded, except for the dull throb of heat deep inside him. John was pushed onto his back. He could feel Bane above him, but he doubted that Bane could see him, just as John was totally blind in this darkness. John felt Bane’s clothes brushing against his naked skin, even though Bane himself was holding himself too high for John to feel his body.

“Bane? It’s okay now, it’s better.” John said, he didn’t want Bane to stop touching him, didn’t want to risk the fever returning but this felt so wrong. 

“You have asked for my help, little Robin.” Bane said, moving down his body until he was in between John’s legs. His hands on John’s inner thighs, John could feel the lube making his skin slick against Bane’s hands. 

Bane slid his hands up and John pulled his legs as far apart as he could, Bane’s touch had been brilliant before, but this was beyond that. It was perfection. One finger pressed behind his balls and moved back until Bane found his hole.

John groaned, Bane’s finger felt a thousand times better than his own had. John’s cock was harder than it had ever been as Bane closed his hand other round it and began to slowly jerk him off.

“Please,” John had no idea what he was asking for, because this was already the best sexual experience he’d ever had in his life. Bane appeared to understand though, the finger at his hole slowly sunk into him. 

John gasped, his back arching. He was so close to coming, if Bane would just keep touching him. 

“Bane! I need..please!” The burning inside him had been so painful, but now that same burning was turned to desperate need. He had to come, and he knew with a certainty that was beyond rationality that only Bane could help him. 

Bane began thrusting his finger in and out of John’s ass. It was so good, but John needed more. He began lifting his hips into each of Bane’s thrusts. Bane growled and tightened his fist around John’s cock.

John’s whole body clenched and he was coming harder than he ever had before. Pouring come all over his stomach, his blood roaring in his ears. Bane stayed completely still, his finger in John’s ass. 

As John relaxed, Bane began to move away, his finger sliding out of John. This time John didn’t feel the fever return as Bane stopped touching him. 

Bane switched on the light. John closed his eyes, he did not want to see Bane looking at him, he wasn’t sure he wanted to look at himself. He had no idea what was happening here, but he knew that he was being tricked in some horrible way. 

He heard Bane leave the bed, and return seconds later. John jerked when he felt Bane peel back the sheet that was covering him. Opening his eyes he saw Bane; his cargo pants tented and carrying a damp cloth. Bane didn’t look at John’s face, or wait for permission to touch him. He just wiped the cloth over John’s stomach, catching the come and then moving further down. The cloth didn’t seem to work so well at cleaning the lube from John’s skin. John turned his head away, so he could stare at the wall and not have to look at Bane or his arousal or the casual way that John’s body was exposed and cleaned.

Finally Bane was finished. He went to the bathroom and shut the door. John wondered if he was masturbating, and why he hadn’t forced John to touch him. 

When Bane returned he sat on the bed and undressed. His demeanor of menacing confidence had returned, John noted. Bane turned the light off and they lay there in silence until eventually John fell asleep.


	6. An Unexpected Return

John woke to sounds of Bane getting dressed. The light had already been turned on, so he could see Bane’s back clearly. The muscles there were so well defined, John felt like he was looking at an example of masculinity from some medical textbook. He had an urge to lean forward and touch those muscles, to feel how hard they were with his own hand. There were scars along his spinal cord and although they looked rather gruesome that didn’t stop John from wanting to touch them too.

John sighed and pulled the bed sheet over his face, he desperately wanted to forget about what Bane had done to him last night. 

Bane was a monster, a masked madman who was planning something terrible as he worked away in the sewers. He had kidnapped John, kept him prisoner and stripped him of his clothes. For some reason he was trying to convince John that he was an omega, and he might have molested John in his sleep. Plus, he must have drugged him in some way so that Bane’s hand on the back of his neck had the extraordinary power to calm John down. 

Except Bane had not actually hurt him, he had been on his knees before him when John had started crying. The only time that he remembered Bane touching him sexually had been when John had asked him, or rather, John thought bitterly, when John had begged him to. All Bane had wanted in bed was to hold onto him. Most amazingly of all, Bane had seen John naked and not laughed, had, in fact, accepted him completely. As if John were normal. 

“Robin,” Bane called to him, distracting him from his thoughts. Bane was crouching by John’s side of the bed.

“It would be unwise to attempt to leave this room.” John nodded sharply, his eyes following Bane as he stood and left the room. The vague threat seemed worse than any promised punishment should he disobey. John snorted to himself, just because Bane had some seemingly good qualities did not make him any less of a monster. 

Today, John thought, he would plan his escape. 

He got up, and hating being naked, went in search of a towel to wear around his waist. In the cupboard under the bathroom sink he found two toothbrushes, one still in its packaging. He ripped it open and brushed his teeth for the first time in days.

Two brushes, which meant that Bane must stand in here and remove his mask. John reasoned that he must be vulnerable when he took his mask off, John had already smelt the medicinal scent it emitted; Bane physically needed the mask. If John could attack when he took it off then he might have a chance against him. The idea gave him a thrill of excitement, energising him. 

He was still lost in contemplation when he heard the bedroom door open. He’d left the bathroom door open, and whoever had just come in would be able to see him easily if they came fully into the room. John was terrified, he was basically naked and just because Bane had seen him that way did not mean that he wanted anyone else to see him. 

He could hear the person walking around the room, but he forced himself to stay still. It would hardly do him any good to close the bathroom door when there was no lock on it, plus there was still a chance that the person wouldn’t even realise that he was in here. He heard the person coming closer.

Bane stood in the bathroom doorway. John nearly sobbed in relief, he was so glad it was Bane. He was watching John carefully, but then he supposed he must look pretty strange. He shouldn’t be so relieved to see his captor. 

“There are clothes for you on the bed.”

“Uh..thanks,” Bane didn’t acknowledge his thanks, but the look he gave John might have been surprise. 

“I will return this evening.” John nodded, even though, in this room without natural light or clock, it didn’t really mean a lot to tell him when he intended to return. Bane looked like he was expecting more of an answer than just a nod, and when he received none, he left. 

John stared after him, as the door closed and no key could be heard turning in the lock. It struck John how easy it would be to just leave. A glance at the clothes Bane had left on the bed showed the same nondescript, vaguely military-esque attire that everyone else down here seemed to wear. The perfect clothes to escape in.

Grabbing the clothes he headed for the shower. The lack of water pressure meant the shower wasn’t relaxing, but the shower curtain gave him a wonderful sense of privacy. 

He washed himself carefully. His areshole felt tighter than it had before, but as he examined himself, he once again felt that jolt of pleasure. He slowly rubbed a circle around the rim of his hole, this had been what Bane had done to him. He’d never even thought to play with himself like this before, but now he knew what it was to have Bane’s finger inside him, and he felt empty without it. 

He slipped a finger inside himself, the angle was wrong, he couldn’t go very deep and his wrist started to complain almost at once. He closed his eyes and thought about how Bane had slowly sunk his finger into him. Obviously it would never happen again, but it had felt so good he wanted to remember; the stretch of his ass against Bane, the feeling of having someone else inside him, pumping into him. What would it feel like to have Bane’s cock sliding into him? 

The question popped into his head, but was followed just as quickly by a thought that killed all his building desire. Commissioner Gordon and the look on his face if he were to report to him honestly. ’No commissioner I didn’t manage to escape and I haven’t learnt anything about what is happening in the sewers. However, I did discover that I enjoy ass play and am probably gay, with a bit of a thing for men with big muscles and big fingers.’

He pulled his finger out and turned the shower off. As he got dressed he puzzled over why Bane thought he was an omega, John was pretty certain now that this wasn’t a lie they had made up to trick him. They honestly believed it. 

Which didn’t make any sense, because they must have drugged him in order for him to have a fever last night and for Bane’s hand to calm him. It was definitely an odd reaction, but then, drugs could be tailored to do amazing things when made by the right chemist, John supposed. The problem was, why drug him if they thought he, as an omega, would have these reactions naturally?

But then he thought of how he would explain to Commissioner Gordon what they had told him about omegas. He could just see how disappointed Gordon would be if John fell for something so incongruous.

The more pressing concern was how to escape. As a child, before he’d been prescribed his pills, beta’s reactions to his scent had always been negative. He had to suppose that, as an adult, his scent would elicit a more extreme reaction. Plus, if anyone saw him exit Bane’s rooms they would know he was trying to escape.

John’s thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Startled, he gave a curt yell to come in. The door opened to reveal Barsad, holding a tray.

“You look well, little brother. I have brought you breakfast.” Barsad said, as he came into the room and put the tray down on the empty desk. John wasn’t really sure how to treat Barsad; it was Barsad who had originally knocked him out, but since then, John had attacked him twice and Barsad had gone out of his way to not hurt John. Had, in fact, barely touched him and had actually untied John, not completely freeing him, but still it had been an unexpected kindness.

John nodded at Barsad as he left and then went to examine the bowl of porridge and weak tea that he had been brought. He found himself surprisingly hungry as he ate.

Finishing his breakfast he explored the rooms thoroughly. There didn’t seem to be anything particularly useful in the room, although interesting that Bane didn’t keep any clothes in this room. He must have another room that John did not have access to.

John tried perusing the bookshelf for clues to Bane’s character, the works were all literary classics, John wasn’t sure how to interpret that. Instead he switched on the television and started working out, with the news playing in the background. He would need to make sure he kept his strength up, despite being confined.

His exercising must have gone on longer than planned, because he was surprised when he heard a knock on the door again. He supposed it was Barsad again and yelled for him to enter.  
This time Barsad held a tray with stew on it, and he gave John a small smile when he saw him.

“You are keeping busy, little brother.” Barsad said, and John deciding that, although Barsad was definitely the enemy, he was being friendly and that shouldn’t be squandered while his only other companion was Bane.

“Yeah, I was trying to exercise.”

“I do not think you shall remain here long,” Barsad told him, as he nodded in approval, “soon, little brother, you will leave this place.”

“When?” John asked, not bothering to hide his eagerness but Barsad just twitched his lips and shook his head.

“Thanks, for the food, I mean.”

“You are welcome. Eat well, I shall see you in the the morning,” Barsad said as he departed with the old breakfast tray. 

John had finished his stew, exercised some more and was sitting down to read when the TV caught his attention. He’d left it on to see what news there was of the Commissioner or Bane, the constant stream of noise comforting.

The news was from the Stock Exchange. It had been taken over by thieves and everyone inside was being held hostage. John knew that this must be Bane’s work. Guiltily, he realised how relieved he was. Now that everyone else knew about Bane they would come down here, and when they did, he would be rescued. He didn’t like to think about the fact that Commissioner Gordon already knew he was down here and nothing had been done.

His relief lasted right up until he started feeling hot again. It started the same way as it had before, he was watching the financial commentator explain the possible impacts of this heist, when his body started to feel wrong, nothing he could quite put a finger on, just not right. 

When the gang burst out of the Stock Exchange with hostages, John started to feel the pain inside begin to burn. He tried splashing cold water on his face, but it just didn’t cool him down enough.

He could feel the same wet feeling between his legs. Last night he had accused Bane of putting it there last, but now it was obviously his own body producing this stuff.

He stripped down to his underwear, the air feeling good against him. The news channel had helicopters out, following the thieves and the police response. He took his underwear off, they were just wet anyway. 

He was burning up though, he knew he had to do something. Turning the TV up, so he could still hear it, he sat in the bathtub. The cold metal was good, but it got better as he turned on the cold water tap. He filled the bath as much as he could, twisting in the water so that every part of his body could feel the cooling water.

It was good, but it wasn’t enough. He needed more, and he knew that even if he could cool himself down, it still wouldn’t relieve the burning inside him. He’d needed Bane for that last time.

He reached down to feel himself, his hole was loose and pliant like it had been last night. His finger slipped inside easily. It was good, but, frustratingly, not enough. He needed something longer. He carried on fingering himself, thinking about Bane doing to this to him, how amazing that had felt. He remembered Bane’s fingers; they weren’t particularly long but they were thick, slightly calloused. He’d never thought anyones hands could be called attractive, but Bane’s definitely were.

He sighed in frustration. No amount of imagining Bane was going to make his fingers longer, and the pain inside him was getting worse. He got out of the bath, he needed to find something that would reach that spot inside him. 

He was standing by the bed, looking around trying to find something to stick up his ass, when the reporter mentioned the name Batman.

He couldn’t believe it! His hero had returned, others might have thought him disgraced but John had always believed in Batman. Even if every other policeman felt they had a personal grudge against him for killing Harvey Dent, for killing one of their own, John had never been convinced that he knew the full story.

He stood in awe, watching the news unfold, until the pain burned worse than ever. Going to the bathroom, he opened the cabinet and stared at the two toothbrushes there. After a moment's indecision, he grabbed Bane’s and headed to the bed. He lay down and covered himself with the sheet. The pain was getting worse, but he was so struck by how surreal the situation was, that he paused for a moment.

He held the toothbrush by the head and rubbed the tip of the handle around his hole, circling the rim. Then slowly he pushed it inside himself. It went so much deeper than his finger had. His breath stuttered, this had definitely been a good idea. He slowly started pumping the brush in and out of him, grabbing onto his cock as he hardened and jerked himself off in time with the toothbrush.

He thought of Bane doing this to him, of Bane’s finger inside him and other hand wrapped securely around his cock. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine it was Bane doing that to him now.

It felt good, but the pain inside him didn’t stop, it didn’t change into burning desire, like it had when Bane had done this. John took the toothbrush out with a sigh. He would either have to find something bigger to use, or wait until Bane returned. 

John heard the door creak, and didn’t know if it was relief that grabbed him or fear. Bane was here and this situation was mortifying and humiliating, but Bane could do what he done last time and stop this. He thought of Bane’s finger pushing into him again and moaned. 

“Hi,” a man said, the voice was definitely not Bane’s and John jerked his eyes open, his body paralysed with surprise and fear. The man couldn’t see his body, but it must be obvious to him that John was naked under the sheet.

“Where’s Bane?” John asked, trying to sound calm. 

“”He’s out. It’s just you and me, precious.” Said the man as he walked towards the bed, “Construction crew weren’t supposed to come down here, but I knew they had to be keeping something good down here, and look what I found.”

The man sat down on the bed, he was far too close for John’s comfort, who sat up exposing his chest, but able to move away from the man and the chill of the air against his skin making him feel calmer. His ass cheeks rubbed together wetly, the lube clinging to them. The stranger eyed him hungrily, gazing down at John’s newly revealed flesh.

“Oh, you are pretty, aren’t you? Why do you smell so good? Hmm, honey?” 

This, John decided, was what Bane had meant when he said beta’s would react differently to his new smell. It was creepy, and as the man edged closer, John realised how quickly this situation could escalate into something dangerous.

“I think you should leave.”

The man stopped shuffling forward and looked at John with confusion.

“Don’t be like that, I can make you feel good. Wouldn’t you like that?” Some part of John cried out that, yes, this man could make him feel better, he could stop the fever just like Bane had done and, really, what difference did it make if some stranger touched him as opposed to some stranger who was keeping him prisoner? Between this man or Bane, was there really any difference?

“I think we could be good together. We could be friends. My name’s Cody, what’s yours, honey?”

“Blake”

“That’s a nice name,” Cody reached out and grabbed John’s hand, pulling it towards him, “I bet you’re from Gotham too, just like me. See, we got a lot in common. We should stick together.”

Cody bent down and kissed the back of John’s hand, it stung where his lips pressed into John’s skin. Not in the same way as Bane’s touch had, which had prickled and felt odd in a way that John wasn’t sure if it was good or bad. Cody’s lips hurt him.

“Stop. Don’t.”

“Aaw, its just a little kiss, Blakey. There’s no need to worry, just one more kiss.” The man bent his head down and John knew exactly what the difference was between Cody and Bane. Bane would not have done this, would not have touched John like this. Bane had knelt at his feet when John had been in tears. Then, of course, Bane physically couldn’t kiss him.

“Get away from me,” John yelled, he doubted the man would listen, doubted there was anyway to avoid fighting this man. The man moved away, jumping quickly from the bed. For a second John felt exhilarated, Cody had obeyed him; then he saw Bane standing in the open doorway. 

“Bane!” Cody practically yelped, “I was just down here checking..I’ll just go.” The man’s panic was palpable as he edged towards the door, trying to sidle past Bane.

Bane didn’t move aside to let Cody pass, instead he turned so that the two of them were face to face. Bane reached around to put one hand on the back of the man’s neck, as if to embrace him, and trailed the fingertips of his other hand across the man’s lips. 

“You kissed him,” Bane’s tone was steady, John thought that he didn’t sound angry and if John hadn’t seen the look in his eyes he wouldn’t have known Bane felt anything at all. But John could see his eyes, and he saw a blazing, feral glint that scared him. He had no idea what was going to happen to Cody, he couldn’t imagine it was going to be good. 

“I’m sorry, please, I didn’t -” The man’s words were cut off as Bane pushed his fingers into the man’s mouth. John could see Cody struggling to pull his head back, but Bane was holding him still and kept pushing his fingers further inside the man.

Cody’s arms were desperately trying to prise Bane’s arm away, but John knew that nothing could stop Bane. He wanted to close his eyes and block this out, but he couldn’t look away from Cody’s face, his skin red and his watering eyes bloodshot. This man was dying in fear and panic, but his killer just stood there, implacable, the only sign that this was affecting him was the burning look in Bane’s eyes. 

“You’re killing him! Stop! Bane, stop!” John cried, dashing towards Bane to pull him off. 

Spit drooled around Bane’s hand. Fluid was coming from the man’s nostrils. Then John could smell vomit; Cody had puked but Bane’s hand meant the man could do nothing but choke on it. A little managed to escape Cody’s mouth, flowing down the man’s chin.

John grabbed onto Bane’s arm, desperately trying to yank it away. However strong Bane was he only had to move his arm a little, John reasoned, just enough so that the man could breathe, or vomit. 

He kept pulling and pulling until, quite suddenly, Bane’s arm moved, letting John pull him back a little. John knew the man was dead. Bane had not been forced to move by John, and he would not have moved unless Cody was dead. Bane’s hand was still in the man’s mouth, but had come a little way out. More vomit, spit and a little blood came streaming out around his hand.

He pulled his hand completely and released Cody. The corpse fell to the floor, more fluids gurgling from his mouth. John could feel himself shaking. The smell in the room intensified. The sharp, acidic tang of the vomit and John’s own burning fever was too much for him. He had seen dead bodies before, he’d seen men shot in the street. He’d thought that he was hardened to seeing the cruelties that people could inflict on one another, but what Bane had done was way beyond that, it was barbaric. 

John covered his mouth with his hand and walked away from Bane. Now he knew how vicious Bane was he doubted he should turn his back on him, but he just couldn’t bear to be so close to him. 

He went to the bathroom and sat in the tub. He had been distracted from his fever but now he became aware that he was hotter than ever and the cold metal of the bathtub felt good. Turning the cold water tap on he rinsed his hands. The water felt even better than the metal as it rinsed away the flecks of splatter on John’s hands.

John put the plug in the bath and started to draw another cold bath. He had been so desperate, so willing for Bane to return and use his fingers on John again. Instead Bane had used those fingers to kill a man. He wouldn't want those fingers inside him, when they’d just been inside Cody. However much John knew that Bane would bring him relief, it would be better to be in pain than let Bane touch him again. 

He heard Bane dragging the corpse away and returning a few minutes later, filling the rooms with the smell of disinfectant. John couldn’t really spare it much thought as the cold water lapped at him, and he lay down to feel the coolness ease the burning pain. He closed his eyes and sighed at the relief he felt.

When he opened his eyes again Bane was standing in the bathroom door. He was bare chested and John supposed that he’d had to remove the clothes that had became soiled as he killed Cody. John didn’t even care that he was naked in front of Bane again, he was in pain and Bane had already seen everything anyway.

“You killed him,” John didn’t really want to talk to him, but the words came out, he was too overwrought and disgusted to keep quiet.

“Did you truly expect me to let him live?”

“You can’t just kill people!”

Bane stared down at him, looking him in the eye. 

“He touched what is mine. He would not have stopped until he had raped you.” John couldn’t be sure that Cody would have tried to rape him, but his behaviour had been decidedly creepy.

“I’m not yours.” He was hot and just wanted to stop talk, to thinking and definitely to stop remembering Cody’s gruesome, panic-filled death. He had been lulled into a false sense of security, that Bane was somehow safe, but he wasn’t; Bane was an insane killer. 

The bath tub was filling up, the water getting colder, but it wasn’t making him feel any better. He was still burning up and Bane’s alpha smell seemed to be affecting him, making the burning inside him worse. 

Bane didn’t seem to notice the pain he was in. He walked into the bathroom, washed his hand and crouched by the side of the bathtub. His hand rested on the edge of the bath. John glanced up at it. Saw the fingers that he had so recently been fantasising about. No matter how painful this got he was not going to succumb to temptation. 

Not after he’d seen Cody trying to push the vomit from his mouth but been stopped by those fingers.

Something seemed to clench inside his ass and he felt a spasm of pain rock his lower body. He pursed his lips. This would not be easy. 

“You are in pain.”

“You’re a murderer.”

“Is his life worth so much to you? How long will you wait before you call for me? The pain will only increase.”

John wanted to scream at him, to tell him to get the fuck away from him, but the burning pain inside suddenly got worse. This time it was more than a spasm, he could feel every muscle in his lower body tense, throbbing with burning pain. 

He didn’t want to show Bane how much it hurt, but he couldn’t keep his lips together as he let out a pained gasp.

“My little Robin, let me help you.”

He couldn’t relax his muscles, it was as if they were on fire, clenching in pain. John couldn’t hold it any more, the burning was too much, he opened his mouth and screamed. 

“Say yes, let me stop the pain.”

John wanted to shake his head. He wanted to suffer and do what was right, to not let this monster anywhere near him. But it hurt so much and all he had to do was say yes. He was nodding his head before he even realised what he doing. 

Again, Bane didn’t rush forward as soon as he was given permission. He leant over to turn the tap off, then hooked one arm under John’s knees and another around his shoulders and gently lifted him out of the bath. 

Bane’s flesh against him was wonderfully cooling, it felt more refreshing than the cold water had. John could feel the pain in his ass abating. Just the smell of Bane was wonderful, and it seemed to relieve the pain just as much as the touch of his skin did. John leaned his face into Bane’s neck and breathed in. He needed this, he could pretend that he hadn’t just seen Bane kill a man, just until Bane stopped the pain, and then afterwards he would deal with everything. Right now, he just had to feel better. 

Bane lowered him onto the bed and started to move away, but John grabbed him before he could go far. He wanted Bane to surround him, so he could feel the cooling press of his skin, so he couldn’t see the doorway where Bane had just killed a man.

Bane paused, not being moved at all by John’s pulling until he seemed to decide to obey. Then he allowed John to pull him down so that Bane was lying on top of him. Their chests pressed together, Bane’s scent surrounding him. John felt himself hardening and thought he felt Bane do the same.

John squirmed. Bane’s shoulders were so broad that he was completely trapped under him. Their chests rubbed together, and John felt the delicious slide of Bane’s heavy muscles against him. John moaned at how good it felt and arched up to rub himself more firmly against Bane. He had never realised how sensitive his nipples were, but as he rubbed them against Bane they sparked with pleasure. 

He reached his arms around to touch Bane’s back and pull him further down. He could feel the muscles there bulging, and he wrapped himself around the hard body on top of him, desperate to feel more of Bane’s skin against him. He rocked his hips up, his cock rubbing against Bane’s. His whole body felt giddy with arousal, but if Bane made any noise John couldn’t hear it, the blood was pumping too loudly in his ears. 

He thrust his hips up again and groaned as he felt Bane respond. Pushing him down and rubbing into him. John moaned and heard Bane growling as he starting thrust harder against him. It felt so good, but it wasn’t enough, he was still so empty. 

“Bane, I..You..I need..” He knew he wasn’t making sense and he prayed that Bane understood what he needed. He couldn’t concentrate his thoughts enough to make a sentence, and even if he could, he doubted he could say it out loud, there seemed to be too much air in his throat and he could barely form any words at all. He heard Bane growl again as he stopped moving and rested his forehead against John’s. He could feel Bane’s breath as it left his mask and brushed against his face, could taste the medicinal tang of it. 

With a deep breath, Bane lifted himself away, slowly moving down John’s body, his cold mask occasionally brushing against hot skin and making John shake.

He knelt between John’s spread thighs, his hands holding John’s legs apart. It struck John that they had been in the exact position the night before, but that it had been pitch black. It had been so unreal, so easy to divorce himself from who was doing this to him when it had been dark. They had just been cold hands, invisibly easing his pain. Now he had to acknowledge that it was Bane making him feel so good. 

Bane rubbed his hands along John’s inner thighs, his thumbs tracing small circles as they ghosted closer to John’s hole. 

John threw his head back and lifted his hips, Bane was being too slow. He wasn’t in pain any more, the burning remained but it felt good now, pushing him towards orgasm.

Bane was slowly circling his rim, his eyes fixed in fascination in between John’s legs. John bucked up again, trying to make that finger slip into him. He moaned loudly as Bane moved his finger away. Bane’s eyes snapped up to look John in the eye.

He carried on staring at John as he circled his hole again and slowly slipped his finger inside. John sighed, he hadn’t known he’d been holding his breath, but his whole body seemed relieved that Bane was finally inside him. He jerked his hips up again, this time Bane didn’t move his finger away, and his finger slid all the way into John until he could feel Bane’s other fingers pressing into his ass. 

Bane still hadn’t looked away from his face, but he reached down to hold onto John’s hip and slowly push him down, his finger slipping out as he pushed John to lie flat on the bed. John gave another moan of frustration, but Bane was pushing his finger back into him. It was like he touching that place inside John that had hurt before, massaging it until all the pain he had felt was arousal. 

“Another! I..another,” John’s gasped words didn’t make any sense, although he had no idea how else he could voice what he needed. Bane must have understood though, as the next time he pushed into John he did so with two fingers. Finally, that was it, that was what John had hungered for all afternoon and he came. 

It felt just as amazing as it had the night before, even though Bane hadn’t even touched his prick this time. His come pumped out across his stomach, as Bane stopped moving, his fingers still inside John. 

John panted heavily, his heart racing. He wasn’t in any pain and the fever had left him, Bane was still kneeling between his legs, unmoving, his eyes still fixed on John’s face. 

John had no idea what to do, last time Bane had moved away so quickly and it had been so dark. Now he was left staring up into the face of a man’s whose fingers were inside him and who didn’t look like he was going to be moving anytime soon. 

Finally Bane removed his fingers, stood up and went to the bathroom. His cargo pants were tented but stained wet. John realised it was his lube from when they had rubbed against each other. Bane returned with a damp cloth, wiping John clean before wordlessly leaving the bedroom by the main door. John was too exhausted to do anything else but pull the sheet around him and fall asleep. 

 

He woke up to the noise of a laptop clacking. Bane must have brought it with him, as he sat bare-chested at the desk, looking intently at the screen. John had no idea how to reconcile the Bane that sat here quietly, that carefully cleaned John after he gave him the best orgasms and the murderer and thief that he knew Bane to be. 

“I saw you, on the news.” John said, Bane must have been expecting his words as he didn’t seem surprised.

“Batman’s returned,” John continued, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to ask, but he was so happy that his past hero was once again patrolling the city. Bane had been out and near Batman, and even though it was tenuous it was a small connection he could treasure. Bane remained silent.

“Are you going to keep me in this room forever? How can I leave if all betas react like Co-,” John cut himself off, he doubted Bane knew Cody’s name anyway, “if all betas react to my scent?”

“Once you are bonded your scent will change.” Bane stated blankly, John wondered how many more answers he could get out of him, and decided to change tack.

“Barsad said I would leave here soon,” Bane remained silent and turned back to his computer, John supposed that hadn’t really been a question.

“Why doesn’t Barsad react to my scent?”

This time Bane paused and looked back at John.

“He was born an alpha.” John frowned, he knew that Barsad didn’t smell like Bane, that Barsad smelled like any other beta.

“So..He isn’t an alpha any more?”

“No. Omegas must be either killed or suppressed constantly to hide their true natures, alphas may be destroyed by one injection at an early age.” John nodded, that would explain why Barsad and Cody reacted so differently to him, if Barsad wasn’t really a beta.

“You weren’t injected.”

“In the Pit no-one cared about an alpha. Everyone was there to be destroyed.”

“Who..Who does this? Why go to such lengths?”

“The tyrant will always stamp on any who would threaten him. The powerful have always controlled the weak. Your own Gotham is an example of this.” John knew that Bane gave vague answers, but this was too important. He had never been a proper beta, and, after today, he knew that, somehow, his body was even more different than he’d realised.That didn’t mean he was going to accept that he was an omega without more proof, and Bane would not give any information.

“That’s not a proper answer! I need to know who would do this.”

“You do not understand the severity of the crimes committed against you or our kind; there is not one name to give you. When the system is corrupt one person cannot be blamed, it must all be destroyed in order to rebuild.”

John scowled, he didn’t think his questions were so difficult to answer that they deserved such convoluted, roundabout responses. He got up intending to put his clothes back on. He didn’t feel particularly rested but he had no idea how long he’d slept for.

“Everything I learnt about omegas I learnt in the Pit, from an old alpha whose only crime had been not receiving an injection as a child. He taught me of the old ways, of how alphas and omegas courted. You and I do not have time for such archaic niceties.” John didn’t know if Bane was trying to make up for his lack of information previously, but it was fascinating whenever Bane actually spoke to him properly.

“In times past, omegas would remain naked in their alpha’s chambers.” John snorted and started getting dressed, wondering if Bane had just told his first joke. 

“Do you still doubt that you are an omega?” John paused as he pulled on his shirt. He was pretty sure that Bane would know if he told him a flat out lie, John had always been a horrible liar and Bane was incredibly perceptive. Bane took his silence as answer enough.

“You are so unwilling to see the corruption that surrounds you, so eager to idolise those in authority. Perhaps I should show you the error of your ways,” Bane said, reaching into his pocket and retrieving a folded piece of paper.

John took it from him, frowning. He had no idea what Bane could possibly be trying to prove. He unfolded the paper and looked down to see Commissioner Gordon’s handwriting. He started to read.


	7. A Toothless Bite

John re-read Commissioner Gordon’s speech. He couldn’t stop his lip curling in anger and disgust. _The Batman didn’t murder Harvey Dent._ Gordon had lied, he had praised the man who had tried to murder his own child, in order to pass a law that had locked up a thousand men because it was so severe. It didn’t matter that Dent’s Law was strict though, because Harvey Dent was a hero. Except now he wasn’t, Gordon had lied to them all. 

He turned to see Bane was again concentrating on his computer. 

“Where did you get this?” John said, his voice tight. He knew it wasn’t fake.

“The Commissioner carried it with him to the sewers.” Bane answered, turning to him and examining him carefully. John felt like some sort of specimen, under observation.

“What are you going to do with it?”

“I intend to tell the people of Gotham the truth.” Bane said, his head cocked as if he wondered what else John imagined he would do with Gordon’s speech. John looked down at the paper. Once this got out there would be riots, but he could hardly condemn Bane for letting people know they had been lied to. 

He just couldn’t understand how Gordon could have done this. It was too terrible; men had lost years of their lives, denied parole, for petty crimes that previously wouldn’t necessarily have sent them to jail at all.

Bane stood and came to sit at the head of the bed, leaning back against the wall. 

“Do you understand now? Gordon is no different from any other beta, he lies and manipulates to achieve the ends he needs. He abuses his authority to control those in his power.” Bane pulled John to his side, although John held his head away from Bane’s naked skin. 

“You trusted Gordon, followed him down here and would have laid down your life to protect him. But, my Robin, he betrayed your trust, he was never the example of goodness that you held him up to be.” Bane continued, holding John tighter against him until John lowered his head to Bane’s torso.

“John,” he said, his voice muffled as he pressed against Bane’s naked chest. He felt Bane’s arm around him tighten. He knew he shouldn’t give Bane his real name, he should let him carry on calling him Robin. Whenever Bane called him Robin it reminded him that no matter how kind Bane seemed, not matter how he made him feel, Bane wasn’t really anything more than his jailer who called him by his legal name. 

Except, right now, he wanted someone to hold him and comfort him and call him by his proper name. 

He pushed back, so that he could look up into Bane’s face. His piercing eyes looking down at John with that unreadable expression.

“John,” he repeated. “It’s my middle name, I prefer it to Robin.” Bane’s expression changed rapidly, and he pulled John back into an embrace, this time pressing him closer into Bane’s hard chest. 

His reaction puzzled John, distracting him even from his anger. He realised that Bane must have thought he was calling out for someone else, someone called John. He snorted, no-one had ever comforted him like this before, there was no name to call out other than Bane’s. 

Bane held him close, before eventually turning the light off. John had never felt so alone, the police had been his entire world, Gordon his personal hero, and now he had been abandoned. He felt how tightly Bane held onto him and tried to sleep.

* * *

John finished his meal and sat back to watch the evening news. Something was wrong, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what. He couldn’t settle comfortably on the chair, so got up to pace around the room. Everything seemed fine, he wasn’t ill, or hot, the room was the same as ever; yet he knew something was different. He picked up Bane’s pillow, he had been trying to avoid smelling it; he didn’t want to admit to himself how good it smelled. In his current mood though, the pillow was comforting. He hugged the pillow closer to him, and sat down again. This wasn’t like the previous times that he’d felt odd, and then become feverish.

It seemed like hours had passed before Bane came back to the room. Bane entered, then paused, standing still in the doorway, his eyes glinting as he stared intently at John. 

John stayed seated, looking away from Bane’s intense gaze and pretending to be engrossed in the book on his lap. He wasn’t feeling hot, he just felt on edge and like something was missing. He shifted slightly, aware of Bane’s continued, silent attention even as Bane went to sit at the empty desk. Bane’s scent seemed stronger, more pervasive, than it usually did. John sniffed the air delicately, trying to hide what he was doing.

Behind him, he heard Bane emit a low growl. The mask made the noise sound entirely inhuman. John turned around to glare at Bane, he was used to Bane’s silence or his eloquent, vague pronouncements; a growl was completely out of character. 

Bane was seated at the desk, his arms crossed and his shoulders slumped down. Almost as if he were in pain. John frowned, he didn’t care if Bane was hurt. He chewed his lip thoughtfully.

“Are you okay?” He asked. Bane lifted his head to look over at John, his eyes were burning ferociously, he looked insane. He wasn’t, John realised, in pain; he was barely restraining himself from violence. John had no idea what could have caused such a reaction, what had made him so angry, Bane always seemed in control of himself. 

Bane stood and paced back and forth about the room. John tried not to flinch away from him when he came too close, Bane noticed though.

“I will not hurt you, omega.” He said, as he turned to pace away from John, who noticed how strong his scent was as Bane walked so close to him, how it made him yearn for something; he had no idea what though. 

“Bad day, huh?” John said. 

“On the contrary, one of the best of my life.” Bane answered, stopping his pacing and turning to face John, his hands raised to hold on to the sides of his vest. John could see Bane’s knuckles whitening, he was gripping so tightly.

John looked away, he had no idea what was going on and Bane’’s behaviour was disturbing. He shifted in his chair, his ass cheeks slipped as he moved and he knew instantly that his body was producing lube again. 

“What’s happening?” He asked Bane resignedly, at least he wasn’t in pain this time. 

“Your body has been purged of suppressants. Your first true heat has begun.” Bane told him. 

“So, you mean,” John waved his hand vaguely, “it’ll be like before?” Now he’d noticed the lube, he was becoming very aware of the wetness of his ass. He wasn’t sure if was imagining it, but now he knew what was going to happen he was starting to feel hot. There was no pain though, just an incredible feeling of emptiness. He shifted in his seat again, his body shivered slightly at the movement and he felt decidedly odd. 

“As before, you must ask for my touch,” Bane nodded. That hadn’t been what John was asking but Bane was back to pacing and looked slightly insane. John thought these heats must effect Bane too, but he hadn’t been in any condition to notice before. He swallowed and turned away, Bane might say that he wouldn’t molest him, and he had shown that he would touch only when asked; but his attitude now scarily intense. He shivered again, even though he definitely did feel warmer. He took off his sweater and heard Bane growl quietly from the other side of the room. 

He put the book on the floor, it was useless anyway, he could hardly ignore the situation. He was still too hot and the lube coming from his ass was making his underwear uncomfortable. He squirmed and took off his shirt. He wanted to take off his pants too, but Bane was too close. Instead he got onto the bed, covering himself with the sheet; his cock was half-hard already. His underpants felt slimy and damp against him, so with a frustrated sigh he striped off the rest of his clothes, throwing them from the bed and hiding his body with the sheet. He shivered, and peeked his head out above the sheet to see what Bane was doing. He had stopped pacing, but threw glances at John every few seconds. John relaxed, Bane really wouldn’t come near him unless he asked. He pulled the sheet a little lower, so that the cool air could get to his skin.

He lay, naked and hard on the bed, the sheets twisting around him as he tried to get comfortable. He was still shivering, tiny spasms racking his body and making him ache to be filled. Bane stood rigidly, still fully dressed, with his back against the wall, watching John intently. He knew that if he called to Bane he would make this all stop. He knew Bane would stop this terrible need and John would finally be satisfied. He moaned softly, his hips canting and his legs spreading without him being aware of what he was doing. Bane growled again. 

It had been so much easier before, when he had been in pain and there hadn’t been any choice; he had had to call for Bane. Now, this time, he knew he could withstand this yearning; he could resist this but it was so difficult. His thoughts were interrupted by small whimpering noises, and he realised with horror that the sounds were coming from him. He writhed and let his hand drop to his sensitive hole. There was so much lube and his hole was gaping. His careful self-restraint crumbled as he felt that. 

“We.. we need condoms,” he said, surprised at how his voice came out in little pants.

“We are both clean,” Bane said, striding towards him, still fully clothed, though John could see the outline of his erection. 

“I don’t trust you, you shouldn’t trust me, we need protection,” John countered, struggling to put into words what he wanted to express. He had made Bane pause though.

“You have lain with a beta,” Bane said finally, with a look of deep disgust in his eyes. John blinked, there was something strange about that statement.

“You’ve never,” John paused, he couldn’t bring himself to say the word sex, “done this before?” He felt ridiculous saying that, he couldn’t imagine anyone had done _this_ before.  
Somehow Bane had taken his question as permission because he started to strip. 

“I have only ever desired an omega.”

Removing his clothes made Bane’s scent stronger and John moaned appreciatively. He couldn’t make out much of Bane’s naked body, beyond a vague impression of big muscles and massive cock; because Bane was suddenly on the bed. He rolled John over, quickly pulling at John so that he was on all fours, his large hands holding onto John’s hips.

“Stop! I didn’t..” John yelled, and he could feel Bane slowly moving back from him. John swallowed reflexively, now Bane was so close to him all he could feel was his burning need, a yearning so extreme his whole body felt jittery. He was so _empty_ , and Bane was right there.

“Come back,” he cried out, surprised at the desperation in his own voice. 

“My poor, confused omega,” Bane murmured, his hands sliding over John’s skin until his thumbs began pulling his ass cheeks apart. John could hear himself whimpering again, his exposed hole twitching. He felt something cold press against his ass cheek and he realised with astonishment that Bane had bent his head to smell at John through his mask; like a dog, John shuddered. He couldn’t ignore how good it felt though, the cold mask soothing his hot skin; the ridges rubbing against him, scratching at him wonderfully. 

John whined, the noise coming out unbidden. He pressed his face into the pillows beneath him and pushed his ass back. He couldn’t believe his own lack of embarrassment as he presented himself for Bane’s inspection, but it seemed so perfectly right. 

“ _Bane!_ ,” He pleaded, John felt Bane’s mask moving away to be replaced with his large finger circling John’s hole and scooping lube. He heard Bane use the slick on himself, but when he turned to see exactly what Bane was doing a large hand pressed itself down onto the back of his head, pushing his face into the pillows. 

He closed his eyes and felt something impossibly large and blunt at his entrance, he tried to move away but Bane pushed forward, thrusting the head of his cock into him. John screamed. He could feel his muscles clenching around Bane. His cock was far too big, it was massive, but it was delicious and perfect and John thought he would go insane if Bane didn’t push further into him.

“Please,” John moaned, his knees shaking from his utter desperation. He just needed more. Bane gave one, sharp thrust and he was completely inside John.

It was as if, for the first time in his life, his body was complete. Something had been missing all his life and it turned out to be Bane’s cock, silky and hard, pressing into him. He felt Bane’s balls rocking against him. 

He was finally full, and it was almost perfect. He just needed something else. He felt Bane move and he gasped, an unconscious _yes_ slipping from his mouth. Bane moved again, sliding out and back into him, slowly. John moaned again and pushed back, wanting to feel all of Bane’s cock deep inside him. 

Bane thrust into him again, harder and more forcefully than before. John screamed, as Bane’s powerful thrusts pushed his body forward and into the pillows. Bane sped up, pumping into John as he lay gasping. Bane seemed relentless as he pounded into John.

He needed to come so badly, he would gladly do anything to come. Bane pulled him up so that he was on his knees, kneeling with his back pressed to Bane’s chest. Bane’s thick cock inside him, but he was slowing down, shallow thrusts driving John insane. John cried out in frustration. He would do anything if Bane let him come now

Bane leaned over to the bedside table, thrusting into John as he moved. John let out a deep, belly moan. He just needed a little more. 

Bane’s hand was in front of him, and he saw what Bane had picked up. It was a small, silver knife that glittered in the bright, overhead light. John knew, with absolute certainty, that Bane was about to kill him. He just couldn’t bring himself to care. As long as he could come right, he would happily die the next second. 

He felt Bane start pumping into him again, hard thrusts that made his whole body shake. He was so close, he could hear himself moaning and begging, but he couldn’t think to be embarrassed.

His orgasm hit him. He could hear his own yell of satisfaction and relief even as he saw the flash of the blade being struck into his shoulder and he felt a jolt of something that was either pain or pleasure. He felt Bane remove the blade and stab him again, and again. He couldn’t concentrate on it though. Bane’s other hand was on his face, his wrist directly under John’s nose. Bane’s scent seemed to completely surround him, and the pain in his shoulder irrelevant as his brain melted with Bane’s scent. 

Finally, Bane moved his hand away from John’s face. He didn’t release him, instead Bane used the blade to slice into his own palm. His hand was bleeding profusely as he put it over the wounds on John’s shoulder.

John screamed, the mingling blood burned him and he tried to pull away, but Bane put his wrist in front of John’s nose again. The scent seemed even more overwhelming than before. 

Bane thrust into him suddenly, pumping into him quickly until John could feel Bane’s cock jerking inside his ass, pumping his come into him. 

He could hear Bane breathing rapidly through the mask as they both knelt in silence. John more sated than he had ever been before; he could not enjoy it though, he was too confused and too exhausted to think clearly. He had no idea why Bane had stabbed him, when he had never done anything to hurt John before. 

His thoughts were cut short. Bane was still inside him but it didn’t feel like he was softening at all. Instead he seemed to be getting bigger. 

John whined and tried to move away. Bane grabbed him by both hips. Stopping him from moving

“Hush, little omega, it is my knot,” Bane told him, carefully repositioning them so that they were lying on their sides on the bed. John felt the knot pulling at his hole as Bane moved him around, it felt massive. Each time there was a tiny tug John felt like he was going to be ripped open. 

Bane lay behind him, his bloody hand still on John’s shoulder, when he suddenly pumped his hips back into John. He could feel Bane’s cock inside him, pumping more come into him. John had no idea what was happening. He could feel Bane coming again, but that shouldn’t be possible. He had no idea what Bane meant when he spoke of his knot, but he couldn’t move at all without tearing himself. 

He lay down and tried to sleep. He was just beginning to doze when he felt Bane come again. He didn’t want to be turned on by this, but the idea of being filled with Bane’s come was too arousing. He could feel his own cock twitch despite how hard he’d just come. He slammed down that traitorous thought.

* * *

He woke up in the dark. He moved slightly and felt Bane’s soft cock slip out of him, followed by what felt like a small stream of liquid. John knew that it had to be a mixture of his own lube and Bane’s come, but there seemed to be so much of it. 

He got up and made his way to the bathroom in the dark, stumbling to find the door. He knew that he’d woken Bane, but he hardly cared. 

After wiping himself down he examined his shoulder where Bane had stabbed him. It looked like something had bitten him. Although he knew that Bane had done it with a knife the wounds were in a pattern that made them look like teeth marks. 

He rinsed the wound, but it seemed to sting more than it should. Eventually he gave up and headed back to bed. 

Stumbling as he lay down Bane reached out and pushed him into their usual sleeping position. He nuzzled John’s shoulder, his cold mask feeling good against John’s stinging skin.

“Why?” John asked the darkness.

“It was necessary. I could not claim you with a bite, but the knife worked just as well. Your scent is changing, you have imprinted on me and by morning you will smell of me.”

John shivered and Bane pulled the sheet around his shoulders. 

“Your heat has finished early, but we will share another. We are bonded now, my omega. You are truly mine.”

* * *

Hours after Bane had left, Barsad knocked on the door; instead of delivering the usual tray of food, he told John to follow him.

“Why? What’s going on?” As desperate as he was to get out of here, this sudden change was worrying.

“Bane wants you to see something.” Barsad answered blankly.

“What is it?” John asked, as he put his book down. Barsad gave a small sigh and walked back along the corridor.

“Hurry.” Barsad called out as John rushed to keep up with him. 

John followed him until they were standing in a gallery that looked down over one of the areas the men had been working on. Looking round he saw that other men were gathered in other galleries and balconies, gathering around as if this were an arena. He turned to Barsad, but he was staring at the shadows of a catwalk across from them. John couldn’t make anything out as he looked into the gloom. 

He thought he could hear sounds of a fight in the background and the approach of a woman wearing heels, which seemed a strange choice for a trip to the sewers. She was talking to someone, but he couldn’t hear their footfalls.

“Just a little further,” a woman’s voice called out, John whipped round in time to see Batman walk onto the nearby catwalk and a grate slam shut behind him. Batman turned quickly back to the women, sensing it was a trap. John felt his anger surge as he realised that this costumed woman had tricked Batman into coming down to the sewers unprepared.

“You’ve made a serious mistake,” Batman growled at the women in his low, roughened voice. 

“Not as serious as yours, I fear.” Bane said, emerging from the shadows on the catwalk, he was standing directly behind Batman and John felt a jolt of anticipation and hope. Batman, however unprepared, would always be able to beat Bane; he was finally going to be rescued.

“Bane,” Batman spat out as an accusation.

“Let us not stand on ceremony here, Mr Wayne.” John’s jaw clenched. He’d known for years that Bruce Wayne was Batman, ever since Wayne had visited the boy’s home. He had idolised the orphan who was making a difference in the world. He took a deep breath to relax himself, he breathed in the scents of those around him. Most of Bane’s men smelled like betas, Bane’s alpha scent strong in the air, but John could smell something else. Someone else here was an alpha. 

Batman turned and looked straight at John, his face twisted with shock. John knew instantly that Batman was an alpha, and that he could smell the omega, despite his bond with Bane.

“They were all dead, I searched,” Batman growled, still looking at John, his eyes beseeching. 

“You betrayed your own kind to play the hero to a handful of betas, Mr. Wayne.” Bane said, his voice mocking.

“Where did you find him?” Batman asked, turning his attention back to Bane. 

“In Gotham,” Bane said, the triumph in his voice obvious. His answer clearly enraged Batman, who attacked Bane; his blows powerful and swift. John couldn’t look away; of course, Bane was his captor, but he found he didn’t want to see him destroyed. Then Bane caught Batman’s fist and John wasn’t so sure who would win anymore.

“Peace has cost you strength. Victory has defeated you.” Bane said, he didn’t seem out of breath, or even concerned that he was fighting Gotham’s protector, as he sent Batman flying to the floor below.

John watched Bane climb down to join Batman, his mind whirring. Batman had known that omegas existed, had tried to find them and, finally, given up looking for them. 

The fight continued beneath him; he could hear the two of them trading insults but Batman’s words were lost to the noise of the waterfall. He could hear Bane taunting him as Bane’s men looked on dispassionately.

He couldn’t see what was happening below him. Batman had somehow been able to turn out all the lights.

“- you merely adopted the dark. I was born in it, formed by it. I didn’t see the light until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but blinding.”

John couldn’t see, but he could hear a fist smashing into something solid, and he knew that Batman was the one on the receiving end. He clenched his fists. His only hope of rescue was being destroyed and he was sure that Bane would kill Batman. He had to do something. He stepped forward, gripping onto the railing and looking around for a way to get there. Maybe, if he threw himself in front of Bane, he would stop.

He felt Barsad grab him, holding him back, his grip not painful but a warning for John to stop.

“Little brother, this is not your fight.” Barsad said gently, his mouth close to John’s ear. He tried to pull away, but found he could not.

“No! Stop!” John yelled down at Bane, there was a moment of silence, and John flared with hope that Bane would really stop; that he would listen to John. He leaned forward to try and see Bane. 

An explosion ripped through the air and the ceiling crumbled. There was dust everywhere and Barsad grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back so John felt like his shoulder was about to be ripped off. He turned John around, pushing John in front of him as he led him away. 

As they left he heard Bane’s voice, crying out in victory.

“Your precious armoury. Gratefully accepted. We shall need it.”


	8. A New Home

Barsad walked him away, through a maze of tunnels, before silently locking him back in Bane’s room. The key clicked in the lock and John wanted to scream in anger. Of course he’d known that Bane was in Gotham to do something illegal and dangerous; but to see him actually fighting with Batman, proved it. 

Batman, John’s childhood symbol of all that was good in the world, had been beaten by Bane. After reading Gordon’s speech, John had felt that the only person left who could be trusted was Batman. Now he had been defeated and John felt entirely alone and helpless.

That wasn’t all. Batman was an alpha and although he had looked surprised to see an omega, he had clearly known what one was. Which meant that omegas were definitely real; and John was one. 

John paced, breathing heavily. Bane hadn’t been lying to him. He hadn’t been drugging him. John really wasn’t a beta after all; he wasn’t sure if he was going to cry or be sick at the thought of all those years spent trying to pass as a beta.

That must also mean that their bond was real. He hoped that only meant that he smelled like Bane and there were no other effects.

* * *

He realised he’d been thinking and pacing for ages, and that Bane still wasn’t back. He turned on the TV to find out the time and saw it was after one; he had been alone for hours. John chewed his lip thoughtfully, Bane had slept next to him every night he’d been in this room, but it seemed like tonight he would leave John alone. Before, that thought would have been a relief, now, he felt unsettled. Was Bane staying away because he was angry with John? He had yelled at Bane to not hurt Batman, but hadn’t asked Batman to not hurt Bane. 

He could admit to himself that he was upset; he wasn’t worried about angering Bane out of fear, he just didn’t want to damage the frail and tentative relationship the two of them seemed to have.

He cursed himself for being so stupid as he got ready for bed. Bane had never given him a choice, he was Bane’s captive, he shouldn’t be worried about hurting Bane’s feelings. He doubted Bane had any feelings anyway. 

He turned off the light, spreading himself out on the cold, empty bed. Bane always forced John to lie in his arms, trapping him in his embrace, and it seemed strange to be sleeping alone. The concentrated smell of Bane on the sheets was comfortingly familiar, yet somehow stale.

Many hours later, as he lay in the position that Bane usually pushed him into, John finally fell asleep.

* * *

The sound of someone knocking on the door woke John with a start; switching on the light he yelled at them to come in.

“You are unwell, little brother?” Barsad asked, as he entered with a breakfast tray.

“Uh, no. You’re early, aren’t you?”

“No,” Barsad said, his lips quirking into his usual small smile, “You have slept late.”

“Barsad?” John sat up, even though this man was Bane’s lieutenant his demeanor always seemed friendly, “You said I wouldn’t be in here much longer, when can I leave?”

Barsad smiled a little sadly.

“Perhaps when Bane returns.”

“Returns? Where is he?” John asked, trying not to hear how eager he sounded for information about Bane. 

“Batman had to be put somewhere safe, somewhere far away from Gotham.” Barsad told him. John’s eyes widened and he nodded vaguely at Barsad, who promptly left, locking the door.

He was so relieved he was even smiling to himself. He just had no idea what he was more relieved about. The fact that Bane hadn’t avoided him out of anger, or the fact that Batman was still alive. As he ate his breakfast he told himself resolutely that it was the news about Batman that left him feeling unburdened from the weight of last night’s worry.

* * *

The day passed slowly and Barsad seemed unusually rushed when he delivered John’s meals. John guessed Barsad was in command during Bane’s absence, and they certainly had a lot of new inventory to go over. 

The door remained locked throughout the day; John supposed that, as the bond stopped him from smelling so enticing to betas, he could escape more easily now. The door was far too solid for him to break though, so he passed the day reading and watching TV. He didn’t want to think about what it meant to be an omega. It definitely meant that Father Reilly, and the doctor, had lied to him; but then, from what Bane had said, the priest had given him the suppressants so that John would avoid discovery. 

Discovery would have led to death. Executed, apparently by some shady government branch who existed to get rid of anyone who wasn’t a beta. It seemed so ludicrous. So impossible that this sort of thing could happen and no-one notice. Of all the conspiracy theorists out there claiming UFO’s were real, why had no-one mentioned this? 

John clenched his fist as he sat in the chair. So, Father Reilly had probably saved his life. But he had never told John the truth. So many years had been spent feeling inadequate. All those years being so angry; angry at his parents for dying, angry at the foster families that continuously rejected him and the constant anger that he just wasn’t a good enough beta. John punched his fist into his own thigh. Why couldn’t he have just been told the truth?

* * *

John had just finished getting ready for bed when Bane returned. He froze as soon as he heard the door being unlocked, slowly turning to see Bane looking at his half-naked body. He had no idea how to greet Bane, it had been so much easier when he was sure that he hated him. Now he was so relieved that Bane was back, that he wouldn’t have to spend another night alone. 

“Hi,” John said, remembering why he’d been worried about Bane being angry with him in the first place, and looking down at Bane’s boots guiltily. John sat down heavily on the bed, glancing up he could see the surprised look on Bane’s face. Bane seemed to be able to read him so easily, and he had no idea what he wanted to say to the man. He definitely wasn’t going to apologise, and he wasn’t going to tell Bane that he was glad he was back. Really, just because he was glad he didn’t have to sleep alone, that was not the same thing as having missed Bane. He sighed and tried to think of a way to express that.

“You were gone a long time,” John said. Bane didn’t answer. He turned one of the chairs round so that it faced the bed and, sitting down, looked at him intently. John struggled to maintain eye contact, eventually letting his gaze trail away.

“Little bird, you are expecting my anger.” It wasn’t, John noted slightly bitterly, even a question. The endearment seemed to have slipped out of Bane and John had no clue how to react to it. Instead he swallowed and carried on looking away from Bane.

“Come here,” Bane’s voice was so calm and John shivered, a thrill of fear going through him. He got up and walked around the bed until he was standing in front of Bane. This close he could see how tired Bane was, as he looked up at him appraisingly.

“On your knees,” Bane commanded. John stayed standing, shocked and beginning to panic; Bane had never demanded anything sexual from him before. He shook his head mutely; Bane had probably killed men for offending him less than this.

“My brave omega,” he rasped, “on your knees before you truly do anger me.” John sank to his knees.

“Good. Take off my boots.” John obeyed, the laces slipping through his fingers. Bane didn’t seem angry with him, but it was impossible to tell. It felt so intimate, to be kneeling practically in between Bane’s legs, so close to his groin. 

“The socks.” John pulled off his socks and looked down at his large, bare feet. It was strange to see that someone as physically powerful and intimidating as Bane was human enough to have toes and toenails. It was oddly endearing.

Bane was removing his vest, and John wasn’t entirely sure what he was supposed to do now. He had, obviously, only been told to kneel so that he could take Bane’s boots off for him. He thought, perhaps, he should get up now. He made a move to stand. 

“Stay,” Bane said. He didn’t make it sound like a command, but John felt oddly relieved. He had been so confused since he had come into the sewers, his body had betrayed him into doing things he would never have imagined doing and he had been forced into situations he had no understanding of. Finally he was being told what to do and it felt immensely freeing, to not have to worry about whether or not he was making the right choice. 

He continued looking down at Bane’s bare feet, until he felt a hand in his hair, tugging his head up. Looking up, he saw that Bane’s chest was unclothed, the muscles there rippling. 

“I have always expected your hatred for choosing to possess you, rather than kill you.” Bane said, his tone gentle, his hand rubbing softly into John’s scalp. John licked his lips, he couldn’t say that he did hate Bane; he hated that he was locked up, that he hadn’t seen the sun in ages, that he was a prisoner to a murderer. What he felt about Bane himself was far more complicated. 

John knelt in silence, closing his eyes as he relaxed and leaned into Bane’s hand, that still massaging his skull. 

“Get into bed.” Bane said, his voice a surprise to John. They must have been sitting in silence for quite a while, but John had lost track of time, concentrating instead on the feel of Bane’s hand in his hair. Looking up John saw an almost tender expression in Bane’s eyes. 

He nodded and went to lie down. Bane followed John, keeping his pants on, quickly turning the light off and pulling John close to him. He felt the press of Bane’s warm chest and smelled the familiar scent of Bane. Inside his head, John could admit that he had missed this. Tentatively, he reached out and put his hand around Bane’s arm.

Bane always held onto him, and now, for the first time, John was holding him too.

* * *

John kept the TV turned on throughout the day, he knew that with Batman gone, something big had to be coming. When he saw the mayor being interviewed about training exercises sending policemen into the sewer he knew that, finally, Gordon was making his move against Bane.

He sat, glued to the TV and hugging Bane’s pillow to him. He wondered how soon they would find him. It galled him to admit that he was glad that Bane had bonded with him, so that the beta cops wouldn’t be attracted to his scent. 

His rescuers never arrived. The football game was about to start when it was interrupted to announce a series of explosions around the city and then almost immediately cut back to show the football. Except no game was going to be played on that field. The whole gridiron was blackened and Bane was striding forward to speak to the crowd and the cameras. 

“This is the instrument of your liberation.” Bane began, neutron bomb behind him and the only scientist who could disarm it kneeling at his feet. Then Bane reached down and snapped the man’s neck. 

The corpse of Dr. Pavel fell to the ground, John watched him collapse and all he could think about was how he had knelt before Bane the night before. How Bane had reached down to him too. How he had felt safe with those big hands touching him. 

He listened to the speech that Bane gave, still standing above the physicists body. Gotham was under Bane’s control and John was trapped with a man he’d seen kill two people with his bare hands.

* * *

Bane led him to the new headquarters that evening. It was an empty hotel; he was taken to a suite near the top of the building. 

“Our new home, my little omega.” Bane told him, as he pushed John into the room with one hand. John looked back incredulously at him, everything about that sentence was wrong. 

Looking around he saw that this place was certainly a lot nicer than their rooms in the sewer. It had a lounge and kitchenette; as prisons went this was better than most, John supposed. He walked cautiously away from Bane, inspecting the new rooms. 

Returning to the lounge he found Bane seated, his coat off and the book that John had been reading in the sewers in his hands. He glanced up as John came back into the room.

“Sit down,” Bane said, his tone calm as if he naturally expected John’s obedience. Frowning, John moved to sit on the sofa.

“No. Here,” Bane motioned with his hand to his feet. John started in surprise, Bane may have told him to kneel to take his boots off before, but this was different. 

“No,” John said defiantly, looking Bane in the eye. 

“Sit or you will be punished,” Bane said, still calm. John looked down at the floor where he was being told to sit. After everything that he’d been through with Bane this didn’t seem like such a big step. He took a step forward, watching Bane’s reaction. He didn’t think he could do it if Bane looked in any way triumphant. Bane didn’t. His expression didn’t change as John sat at his feet, turning to lean his back against Bane’s chair.

Bane’s hand came down to rest on his head.

“Well done, my omega.” Bane said, his voice soft. John felt a frisson of pride at Bane’s praise, which he quickly dismissed. It shouldn’t matter what Bane thought about him, as long as he didn’t kill him.

* * *

“In this room you must always be naked,” Bane told him, after leading him to the bedroom later that night. John first reaction was to step back into the lounge.

“No way,” admittedly he had never felt as comfortable with his naked body as Bane had made him feel, but that didn’t mean he was going to prance about without clothes all the time. Bane just looked amused at his refusal.

“You are mine, no one else shall see you.” Bane told him. It was, John realised with surprise, a comfort. This time Bane didn’t threaten him with punishment, he walked up to John and began to undress him. He turned his face away as Bane undid the buttons of his shirt. The buttons undone, Bane stepped back.

“The rest,” Bane told him, turning away to strip off his own clothes. John hesitated, then shrugged off his shirt. He was fairly certain that Bane would not touch him unless he asked him to, being naked was a small price to pay. 

He stood, finally naked, waiting for some sign of what to do next. Bane, still wearing his pants, just lay down on the bed. After a moment’s indecision he circled the bed and lay down too, as far away from Bane as he could be. The sheets smelled oddly sterile and uncomfortable; it was, John realised, because they didn’t smell of Bane. 

He lay, expecting Bane to pull him close at any second. He didn’t, Bane lay perfectly still.

“Little bird,” Bane called out to him. John turned his head to Bane.

“You still fear me,” Bane stated. John’s look turned incredulous and he let out a nervous laugh. 

“You killed someone in front of me!” John practically squeaked, it was so obvious to him that he had every reason to fear Bane; a man threatening all of Gotham with a neutron bomb. 

“A beta, who would have raped you.” Bane said, as if murdering Cody was the most reasonable thing in the world. 

“You’re keeping me prisoner! Let me go, and I won’t fear you,” John said pleadingly. Bane paused, and for a second John thought that he was actually considering it.

“No.” Bane spoke with an air of finality, now reaching for John and pulling him back into what had become their usual embrace.

* * *

Changing locations didn’t stop Bane from keeping him locked up. He tried the door ten minutes after Bane left the next morning and found it locked. 

Barsad knocked on the door an hour later, unlocking it only after John yelled at him to come in. This time he didn’t have a tray of food, instead he had a box of supplies, which he carried through into the tiny kitchen. John stared at the door Barsad had closed but not locked behind him when he came in. 

“I think you will grow bored in here, little brother.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not like I have much of a choice.” John said bitterly.

“Perhaps,” Barsad said, nodding his head in agreement.

* * *

He spent the day watching TV. It made depressing viewing. The police had been trapped underground while Bane had been making his speech last night. Every TV station was filled with analysis of the Gotham situation. 

Later that afternoon he learned how Bane had spent his day. He had released Gordon’s speech and caused the jail to be stormed releasing the prisoners. John curled into the chair; Gotham had just become an even scarier place to be and he, as the only cop above ground, should be out there, protecting the people.

* * *

Bane returned late that evening. John had spent the day reading the one book that Bane had brought with them and flicking through TV channels. He was bored. So when Bane entered carrying a box of books he couldn’t help but smile. He approached Bane slowly, and peered into the box to read the titles.

Some of the books were ones that had been in Bane’s room in the sewers, but there were a lot of new ones. He reached into the box to move a book aside and see what was underneath it, glancing up at Bane as he did so. Bane seemed transfixed by his face, watching his reaction.

John bit his lip nervously, he didn’t like the intense look on Bane’s face; he pulled his hand from the box and stepped away.

“I, uh, I’m pretty tired. I’ll just go to bed.” John wavered, walking quickly from the room before Bane could stop him. In the bedroom he hesitated again. Bane had told him to always be naked in here, but it seemed so ludicrous, especially as Bane wasn’t even in here. Except, he knew that Bane wouldn’t do anything to him if he was naked, and he might punish him if he were clothed. 

He swore to himself and stripped off. He slid quickly into bed, pulling the covers up to hid his body.

Bane came in soon after. John suspected to check that he was naked, as he saw Bane’s eyes instantly flick to where he had left his clothes. He sat down on the bed next to John, looking rather satisfied. 

“Tomorrow your training will begin,” Bane told him. John blinked, he didn’t have a clue what Bane meant.

“My what?” John asked, confused. 

“I have no desire to keep you confined.” Bane said; looking, for the first time, a little unsure, “Barsad will aid you.”

“Okay..” John nodded, he was still confused but he understood that he was going to be allowed out and Barsad was, at least, familiar. Bane stood, as if everything had been sorted and started to get ready for bed. 

Lying down, he pulled John to his chest. It had become surprisingly comforting to John, after a lifetime of not being touched, to know that every day would end with him being held like this. He pushed his face against Bane’s neck and inhaled the heady scent. 

“We are bonded, little omega, I do not believe we should be strangers to one another.” John felt his whole body go taut, a shot of fear going through him, making him feel cold. It sounded like Bane was finally going to force him into sex. He felt his heart race. 

“You must have questions. What would you ask to know me better?” Bane continued blithely, although John knew he must have noticed his panic. John thought carefully. Bane was not saying what he’d originally thought, he just wanted them to get to know each other better. That was fine by him, the more information he could get on Bane the better. It would make it easier to escape and give the police more clues on how to defeat him. 

He lay in silence, trying to work out the best question before finally choosing the one that was most relevant to his current situation. 

“What are the effects of the bond?”

“You bare my scent. I am,” he paused, “more aware of you; there are other ramifications that are not relevant to us.” There was no way that that was all the bond entailed, what was the point of letting him ask questions if he wasn’t going to answer them properly?

John pondered what Bane meant by _more aware of you_. He already seemed very aware of John, he thought back to their first night together and how Bane had seemed to sense when John had started crying. 

“Can you smell my tears?” he asked, suddenly struck by what must have happened that night.

“Tomorrow night, my omega, the next question tomorrow night.” Bane told him. John sighed, frustrated to be offered something and then not get any new information. 

‘How do I know you’ll be open and honest with me?” John asked irritably. 

“My honesty is guaranteed. Openly? For that, you must ask better questions.”

* * *

Barsad collected him in the afternoon, leading him up to the roof of the hotel. Although he’d walked through the streets when Bane had brought him out of the sewers, the rooftop actually felt far more freeing. He could move around without someone by his side. 

“You cannot sit all day, little brother, you must exercise.” Barsad told him, “First warm up, then stretching.”

“We’re just going to stretch?” John asked, surprised, “What’s the point? That won’t do anything.” Barsad threw him a look of deep disapproval.

“You are an omega, I cannot train you as a beta. This is better.” 

John realised that when Barsad said stretching he did not mean anything in any way easy. He was convinced that it was some kind of martial art, but Barsad refused to call their workout anything but stretching. 

Within a week of Barsad’s training he was more flexible than he’d ever thought a man could be. At first he was impressed at the fast improvement being trained by someone who knew he wasn’t a beta, and took a different approach, made. Then it made him bitter. Partially that he had spent so much time pretending to be something he was not; but also because admitting he was an omega was like admitting that he was naturally weaker; that he was more flexible than other men, because he wasn’t quite a proper man anymore.

* * *

His evenings fell into an unspoken routine. He would slump on the sofa, exhausted from his workout with Barsad, watching TV, until Bane came back. Then he would grab a book and sit on the floor by Bane’s feet, Bane’s hand in his hair, stroking him like a cat. At first he would sit and read as Bane touched him, but each evening he would put his book down and enjoy the feeling of being touched, leaning carelessly against Bane’s leg. 

The evenings were quiet, a comfortable silence pervaded as they sat together. Bane himself, John realised, was an introspective man who appeared to enjoy the silence as much as John found himself doing. It was relaxing. Bane would sometimes ask him questions about himself, and John found that himself telling Bane more and more each evening. He gave away information far more easily than Bane did, but he enjoyed having an audience. Bane’s intense and intelligent eyes would look down at him as John told him about his life. It was exciting to have all that attention fixed entirely on him.

In bed, each night he would question Bane, as they lay together. John, naked and held close to Bane’s hard chest, would breathe his scent in and try to learn as much as he could about his captor. Bane didn’t avoid giving him answers, but blanket questions would give him vague answers.

* * *

Slowly, night by night, he pieced together a history of Bane. He learned about his childhood in the Pit. He learned about the beta girl, Talia, who had been born there and who Bane loved as his own daughter, protecting her from the horrors of that dreadful place. He learned about the day that she had escaped and how the other men had ripped Bane apart, how he had lain in agony until finally the prison doctor had come to him. How the doctor had given him an experimental drug, Venom, that allowed him to heal and made him incredibly strong. How he had become addicted to the drug, and now must wear the mask so that he was perpetually breathing in more Venom. How he could not remove the mask, even for a few seconds, without being in agony; how long and tortuous it would be to wean himself off Venom. How Bane thought he needed the mask for more than Venom; he would rather be seen as an inhuman terrorist than a victim of the beta’s oppression. 

As comfortable as John had become in his captivity, and as much as he enjoyed learning about Bane, he needed to find a way to escape. He changed his questions. He started asking about alphas and omegas. He learned that most alphas were chemically castrated as children, that once neutered they were called naturalised alphas, to show that they had been made into what the beta authorities considered normal and natural. He was told about how his own heats would return every three months. Finally John plucked up the courage to ask about the strange way that Bane had relaxed him by holding onto his neck. 

“I hate it,”John spluttered as Bane gave a vague answer about omega bodies recognising the power of an alpha. However relaxing it had felt, John truly hated the idea that he could be forced to feel a certain way. Bane lay in silence for a long time before responding.

“Then I shall not do it again, little one.”

John wondered at the choice of endearment, was that meant to remind him that Bane didn’t need to force him to relax when he could so easily overpower and subdue him? For the first time in a long while John slept badly.

However difficult that question had been it was nothing compared to how hard it was to ask about the death of Jimmy, the boy from his old orphanage. He knew Bane had no respect for the lives of betas and John knew that if Bane had had a hand in the boys death he would be unable to forgive him. 

When he did finally ask, Bane told him a story of a construction accident that had injured many and led to the death of Jimmy. John chose to believe him.

* * *

John fell onto the sofa, as exhausted as ever after his workout. He was gathering up his energy to go and make himself some food when he realised something was different about today. Some part of his routine was off. He sat up and puzzled what it could possibly be. In a flash he realised that he hadn’t heard the rattle of the key, locking him in here after Barsad left. 

Adrenaline spiking, he stood and checked the door. It was unlocked. No-one was in the hallway. He padded out of the room, trying to be as silent as possible. He took the back stairs down, not stopping until he got to the ground floor. His heart was racing, he couldn’t believe that he’d already got this far and not been stopped. 

He wasn’t sure where on the ground floor the stairwell was, but he planned to find a back exit. He hadn’t been seen by many of Bane’s men, which meant there was always a chance that they wouldn’t recognise him and he would be able to slip past unquestioned. Opening the door of the stairwell a slit, he peered around and saw he was close to the kitchens. There would be a back door to the kitchens for food deliveries, but it was risky. He didn’t know if Bane’s men were still cooking communal meals, Barsad always gave him supplies that cooked for himself in his little kitchen. There might be people in there, and it was late afternoon so they would be cooking dinner.

He walked into the corridor, looking all around him and his stomach twisting. The doors to the kitchen were large swing doors. If he pushed one open it would be obvious to anyone in there, he wouldn’t be able to just push the door open slightly and check the coast was clear first.

Throwing his shoulders back he decided to brave it, there was a chance he wouldn’t be stopped if he looked confident and knew where he was going. He pushed the door open, quietly but confidently. 

The kitchen was deserted. To his left there was a bright red exit sign. 

He let out a sigh of relief, his legs still shaking slightly as he walked through the kitchen. There was a sound behind him, he realised there was someone else in the kitchen, but it didn’t sound like they were concerned. If he could just walk calmly he might not even raise their suspicion. 

He made it to the door; pushing it open, the man in the kitchen yelled out to him. John had no idea what he said, it wasn’t in English or even a language that he recognised. For all he knew the man could be telling him to close the kitchen door after himself. He pushed the door open, not looking back, and walked out into the alley. The door slammed behind him and he broke out into a run. He had to get away as quickly as possible.

He stopped running when he got to the end of the alleyway. Pausing in the shadow of the buildings, he peered round onto the street. There were some people further down the road, but they looked like Gothamite hoodlums, rather than Bane’s men.

Bane. The thought of Bane returning to their rooms, and finding John gone, hit him suddenly. He shouldn’t care. He thought of the comforting way Bane held him, the delicious knowledge that Bane would do that every single night. The safety of sitting at Bane’s feet and leaning back against his legs.That he wanted to see John naked and to touch him, when everyone else had always been disgusted by him. He couldn’t stay though. He would never go back, no matter how good it felt; he wouldn’t be some man’s prisoner. He nodded to himself and looked around the corner again. The men had moved on and the coast was clear. He stepped forward and felt a hand fall on his shoulder.

“Little bird, you have flown your cage.”

* * *

Bane led him back to their rooms in silence, his hand on the small of John’s back. Bane pressing close to him every time John slowed down. He felt like a sheep being herded back to the flock. Eventually they got back to rooms and Bane spoke to him.

“Strip,” Bane’s voice was commanding, and John remembered the first time that Bane had told to strip, back in the sewers. How could he have forgotten how scary Bane was? He had lived with him and got to used to seeing him as something other than a monster, how could he have been such an idiot?

“Strip and I will punish you,” That, John thought, was hardly an inducement to strip, but he couldn’t do it. He was terrified and it felt wrong not to obey Bane. But it would be wrong to strip, to acknowledge that he deserved to punished. Bane was a terrorist, holding both Gotham and John hostage; of course John should be trying to escape from him. He shook his head. He wanted to yell, to scream that he would not submit to Bane, except he knew he would. It was taking all his willpower not to obey Bane’s command at once. 

“Strip now, or I will do this in front of my men,” Bane said, his inflection odd. John doubted that Bane wanted his men to see him naked, he was too possessive. He swallowed nervously, Bane was clearly furious. His whole body seemed to radiate his anger. John took his clothes off. 

When he was finally naked Bane seemed to lose all patience and grabbed him. His large hands dug into John’s flesh bruisingly as he was dragged to where Bane wanted him. 

As John was forced into position, draped over Bane’s lap as he sat in a chair, he realised what Bane intended to do. He was going to spank him, like a naughty child. He tried to stand up again, but Bane held him in place with one arm across his back. He was pushed down so that he could feel Bane’s hard thighs through the cargo pants pressed to his chest and stomach.

“Hush. Stay still. You know this must be done.” Bane said. John felt rage and humiliation course through him as he looked down at the ground. Bane slowly stroked one hand down John’s back, across his ass and down his thigh. It felt like a caress.

Bane struck him. It was so fast that John had barely noticed that he’d stopped stroking him, it was also far harder than he had been expecting. John desperately didn’t want to scream, but the sudden pain made him gasp. 

“You are mine,” Bane told him, punctuating the end of his sentence with another strike. This time hitting the back of John’s thigh, the sensitive skin stinging from the force of Bane’s hand. 

“My omega,” Bane said, this time hitting his ass cheek in the exact place that he had the first time. The skin felt like it was fire.

“My little bird,” he said, smacking his other cheek for the first time. The slaps were hard and John’s skin felt hot and excruciating, he had no idea how long Bane was going to continue but he just wanted this humiliation to end. He felt so overwhelmed, being forced into this position was bad enough, but he didn’t want to hear Bane’s endearments even as he punished him. He buried his face in Bane’s thigh.

“Do you understand,” he struck again, “what those betas would do to you?” Another stinging blow, the warmth of his rapidly bruising skin reminding John uncomfortably of what his own heats felt like. The blows were painful, but they felt good too; the warmth of his skin that followed each strike was making his stomach clench and he could feel blood pounding in his ears.

Bane caressed the skin he had been abusing. The flesh was sensitive, and the touch made John shiver. Bane moved his other hand until it was resting on top of John’s head.

“You are my bondmate,” his voice as gentle as John had ever heard it, his whole body relaxed as he assumed Bane had stopped. The next slap made his whole body shake, more intense than any of the previous ones, a moan escaping him. 

“You belong at my side,” he said, followed by another strike. John stopped himself from moaning this time, but he could feel his cock hardening rapidly as it pressed against Bane’s thigh. It was worse to know that Bane must be able to feel exactly the effect he was having on John. 

“I need you at my side,” the pain from the following strike shot through John like desire. He could hear himself panting and felt a thrill of anticipation for the next slap.

“Without you, I am just another lost alpha.” He gasped at the sting of pain at the next blow, he could feel the pulse of his blood on the exposed, abused skin. 

“Without you,” Bane rasped, then stopped. Instead he struck John again, then again, raining the blows down. Each strike making John writhe, his hard cock rubbing into Bane’s thigh. He couldn’t stop himself from moaning and whining. He was going to come just from this alone. 

Bane rested the palm of his hand on curve of John’s ass, the heat of his hand soothing the pain. He tugged at John’s hair, pushing John off his lap and onto his knees but still holding onto his hair, controlling John, and pushing his face into Bane’s thigh. 

John moaned, he pumped his hips slightly, unconsciously, as his cock throbbed with need. He tried to back away from Bane, but he still held tight to his hair. 

“You will not try to leave me again,” Bane said, his voice low and husky through the mask. John pulled away again, scrambling backwards when Bane suddenly released his hold. 

John stood, rushing from the room as quickly as he could, heading to the bathroom. Bane didn’t move to stop him. 

As soon as he shut the bathroom door, he sank to the floor. His sweaty hand reaching out to his painfully hard cock, he stroked himself. Pressing his raw and sensitive butt into the floor, he thought about Bane punishing him, the mixture of his tender words and caresses and the harsh pain of his blows; his dominance.

He rubbed his ass against the floor, so that he could feel the burn of the delicate skin as he jerked off furiously and came with a cry.


	9. A Real Monster

His workout finished, he followed Barsad back to his rooms, but as they were a corridor away Barsad grabbed his elbow. 

“Talia is here.” Barsad said, holding onto to John with a frown. The more time John spent with Barsad the more expressions he could read on his face, now he could plainly see the worry written there. 

Talia was the beta child that Bane had saved from the Pit. John knew how important she was to Bane; to the man who saw himself as a monster, this child was his only chance at redemption from the brutality of his world. 

John had no idea why Barsad would be concerned about this meeting, but it was clear that he was. 

“Be careful, little brother,” Barsad said, still frowning as he released John and they continued their walk.

* * *

A woman sat imperiously on the chair in the middle of the room, she surveyed the room as if she owned it and John felt an instant wave of dislike for this stranger sitting so calmly in his own home. 

She looked vaguely familiar to John, as if he’d seen her face in a newspaper a long time ago, but he couldn’t remember anything beyond that. Her eyes sparkled with the same manic gleam that Bane’s used to, and he immediately understood Barsad’s warning. This woman looked insane and she was staring intently at him. 

“I wanted to meet the omega that my brother found. You are John, are you not?” She asked, her voice accented and oddly inflected. John nodded and the woman gestured to a chair. 

“You must be Talia,” John said, annoyed that she was telling him to sit on his own chairs. Barsad seemed completely still as he walked past him, a sign that John recognised as Barsad being wary.

“I must be,” she answered, before looking over to Barsad, who was still standing by the door, “Brother, I left a present for the omega downstairs, in the lobby. Would you fetch it for me?”

Barsad glanced at John, then bowed his head to Talia and left. The gesture had not gone unnoticed, and Talia seemed enraged by this subtle undermining of her authority. Her eyes flared and she jutted her chin towards him.

“Do you think that are important to him?” She asked. John realised she must be talking about Bane, but his momentary confusion must have shown on his face, as she repeated herself.

“Do you think you are important to Bane? You are nothing but a weakling with a weird scent.”

John was shocked into silence, what she was saying was certainly what he had thought about himself for most of his life. Since meeting Bane things had seemed different, but she was playing into all his old neuroses.

“Do you imagine that he loves you, just because you are bonded? He would have bonded with whatever omega slut he found first.”

John turned his head away, he didn’t even want to look at this bitch; he wanted to yell that she didn’t know what the hell she was talking about. Except, she was right. Bane would have bonded with any omega that he had met. He would have bonded with Batman, or Commissioner Gordon, if they’d been omegas.

“I think,” John said, pursing his lips and trying to maintain his calm, “you should go.”

“Tut tut, don’t you know your place, little omega? You are one of Bane’s things and you will never be more than a possession to him.”

John whipped his head round as she used the same endearment on him that Bane used. In a flash of clarity he saw how entirely different the two of them were. Bane had never stood a chance, he had grown up without anyone ever showing him kindness, or even mercy. Despite that, he was capable of tenderness, and John had a sudden urge to show Bane that he was not the monster he thought himself, that he deserved affection perhaps more than anyone, because he had always been starved of it. The real monster was the woman sitting in front of him.

As much as he wanted to, he could not deny her words. Everything she said had been true when he’d first met Bane. But that had been months ago. Months of living together, of being held, naked and warm, in bed as Bane answered his questions and slowly revealed more of himself to John. 

Of course, he was still a terrorist who killed people more casually than John took off his clothes. Even that, though, John could sympathise with; obviously it was wrong, but to the boy who had had to first kill a man when he was eight years old, it was a lesson he had never learnt. A lesson that would probably have meant his own death, in the hell where he had grown up. 

Talia was still staring at him hatefully, but he refused to let her see any sign that her words had got to him, refused to show any sign of weakness. She opened her mouth again, and as John braced himself for another round of vitriol, Barsad entered the room carrying a box.

“Ah, finally. Give it to John, Barsad,” she commanded, John accepted the box, unsure what Talia could possibly want him to have, sure it could not be anything pleasant. 

“Open it,” Talia said, as John hesitated, “I shall have to explain what it is before I leave.”

Opening the box, John saw inside a small teddy bear that had obviously been well-loved, as it looked rather worn, and there were a few patches in his fur.

“This was Bane’s, when he was a child in the Pit. You must take care of it, do you understand, omega?”

John wondered if she thought he was slow, because he hadn’t risen to her earlier baiting. He nodded, and started to say something in acknowledgement; certainly not a thanks, after her previous cruelty. Talia, however, was already standing to leave. John stood too.

“Well, I must go, I have done all I needed to do here.” With that, she flounced out of the room, leaving behind an oddly confused and angry John, and a rather awkward looking Barsad. As her footsteps faded away Barsad turned to him.

“Our sister, she is not used to sharing Bane’s attention.’ Barsad told him uncertainly, clearly uncomfortable with the whole situation. 

“Yeah, I could tell,” John muttered, taking the little bear out of the box and examining it.

* * *

Bane seemed delighted by Talia’s gift, when he returned to their apartment that evening. His eyes lit up as soon as he saw the teddy bear. Bane seemed to take the gift as a sign that Talia approved of their bond. John knew it wasn’t; it was a reminder that no matter what happened between Bane and John, Talia was the first person he had ever loved and would always be first in his affections.

* * *

“What’s his name?,” John asked as he lay naked in Bane’s arms. As usual, Bane was wearing pants, and his large arm held John tight against his chest like a heavy, metal safety belt strapping John close to Bane’s strong body.

Ever since his conversation with Talia, and his sudden rush of warm feeling towards Bane, things had felt different. He felt more aware of Bane’s body, of the quiet strength that he exuded just lying here; of his complete dominance over John, which he had never used maliciously against him. 

Bane remained silent, and John was aware of the stillness of the night; there were no cars out on the streets and all of Gotham was quiet. He wondered if Bane was going to ask who John was talking about, even though he knew that Bane was intelligent enough to know exactly what John was asking. 

“I named him Osito, my little bear, he was my only toy. A child’s only friend.” Bane said softly, his cold mask resting just above John’s head. John closed his eyes, he didn’t want Bane to think that he pitied him, but this proof of his humanity was too much.

He rolled over, turning his back to Bane and then pushed back, spooning against Bane and clinging onto the arm still slung around his chest. 

“I like lying like this.” John said, keeping his eyes closed and feeling the soft tickle of Bane’s exhales through the mask, moving his hair. He had asked his nightly question and he no idea how Bane would react to John voicing any of things he’d realised that day.

“Yes,” Bane said quietly.

* * *

Osito became a permanent fixture on Bane’s bedside table and life seemed to return to what had become normal. John spent his mornings in the apartment, usually reading, and his afternoons on the roof with Barsad.

He was going through the same motions, but everything seemed to have changed. Whenever Bane was in the room he couldn’t stop looking at him, admiring him, and he could feel himself blushing every time Bane noticed. When they were apart he kept on thinking about the hard life that Bane had led, his intelligence and his strength of personality.

John knew that Barsad noticed his distraction, but it took days before Barsad mentioned it. 

“Meeting Talia has made you thoughtful, you have not concentrated on our exercises since her visit,” Barsad told him reprovingly as they finished for the day. John sank onto the bench, grabbing his water bottle. Even if Barsad thought he wasn’t concentrating, he was just as exhausted by their workouts as he always was. 

“Yeah, well..” John didn’t think it was a good idea to say anything bad about Talia, even to Barsad. He might have warned John to be careful of Talia, but he was still Bane’s man, and might report back anything John said. Barsad sat down next to him wearing the frown that seemed only to appear when he was thinking of Talia.

“Before I met you, I had known three omegas, that is how I knew your scent despite your suppressants. The village I grew up in was very remote and we escaped attention for many years.” Barsad sighed, his voice was quiet and entirely emotionless as he stared at the ground.

“One of the omegas, we were young, but I could feel the bond between us even as children.” Barsad continued, before lapsing into silence. 

“What happened?” John asked, although he knew it must to have been something dire.

“One day government forces came; things are not done as cleanly in my country as they are in yours. The omegas were all killed and the alphas _naturalised_ ,” Barsad said, glancing up to make sure that John understood what naturalised meant.

“That is what Talia cannot understand. She is a beta, she cannot know what the bond between an alpha and omega is.” Barsad finished, taking a gulp of water and looking away.

John knew that Barsad had told him these things because he thought that Talia’s words had upset him, that Barsad was trying to comfort him. All he could feel, though, was deep sadness for Barsad; he had never really imagined what it must be like to be a naturalised alpha. To have had the chance at a bond with someone he cared about snatched away from him and to know that he would be alone for the rest of his life.

* * *

He lay in bed that night, listening to Bane get undressed. He was still thinking about what Barsad had said, John had always expected to spend his life alone too. With Bane each night he had found a contentment that he had thought he would never know. It was not, John assured himself, that he liked Bane, or could forgive him for keeping him here, it was just a physical comfort.

“What is your question tonight, little bird?” Bane asked as pulled John to him. John chewed his lip, he wanted more from Bane. He wanted Bane to do more than hold him, but he had no idea what, or even how to ask. 

“Would you...Can I touch you?” John stuttered, his face flushing with embarrassment in the darkness.

“You may always touch me, my omega. You are touching me even as we speak.” Bane answered, sounding amused.

“I mean..” John pulled back, away from Bane, half sitting up so that he could see Bane’s eyes. It was too dark to see any expression in them clearly, but his head was cocked questioningly. 

John swallowed, if he were with anyone else he would just kiss them, but as it was he didn’t really know what to do next. He swung a leg over Bane’s hips and moved to straddle him. Bane lay still beneath him, not moving to touch him. 

“I..I want..” John stammered. He stopped talking and ran his hands over Bane’s chest, outlining the muscles with his fingers. He remembered Bane had done that to him the first time he had seen him naked. He could hear Bane’s breath catch, despite the mask. His muscle were so big and it didn’t feel like enough to just use his fingers. He bent down and licked Bane. Using his tongue, he traced the same lines along the edges of Bane’s muscles. He could feel the heat of Bane’s body.

“I want you to touch me,” he told Bane, finally finding his voice. He reached for Bane’s hands and brought them up to rest on his own waist. Bane let out a small moan, one of his large hands roaming John’s chest with a gentle, reverent touch. 

“This is what you want, habibi?” The endearment was new to John but he didn’t question it.

“Oh, yes,” he writhed as Bane circled one of his nipples. Bane’s hands felt like there were exploring everywhere, as if now he had been granted permission he couldn’t stop touching John. 

He could feel Bane’s semi-hard cock under him, it felt so much larger than John remembered. He ground his hips down, rubbing back and forth so that he could feel Bane’s covered cock hardening against his ass.

He pulled back, he desperately wanted Bane to be naked. This wasn’t the forced desire of his heats. He felt a deep longing for the man underneath him. Bane groaned and took his hands off John. He knew that Bane thought he was pulling away and so he was stopping too. A wave of affection swept through him.

He slid down to undo Bane’s pants. 

“Habibi,” Bane captured his wrists in his hands, stopping him from undoing the fastenings, “be sure.”

John nodded, Bane released him and pulled down his own clothes with a graceful twist of his hips. John raised himself off Bane, so that he could push his pants down his legs. He sat back down on Bane’s thighs, his knees spread far apart over Bane’s thick legs. 

John stared down at Bane’s massive cock, he had no idea how that had fit inside him before. Once again he felt confused, he knew he wanted Bane but wasn’t sure what to do next. He reached a hand out to wrap around Bane’s prick, he could barely get his hand around the whole thing it was so thick. He jerked his hand experimentally and Bane threw his head back. 

“Habibi,” Bane said as a whispered groan. John smirked. He bent down, intending to lick Bane’s cock, but as soon he bent down he was overwhelmed by the sheer scent of Bane’s alpha musk. John moaned quietly, nuzzling his nose into Bane’s balls. They smelled as delicious as Bane’s neck, but different somehow; if Bane’s neck smelled comforting, then this was pure sex. He moaned again, lapping at Bane’s balls, his whole body on fire with lust. 

His tongue followed the vein on the underside of Bane’s cock, licking gently at him. He planted a small kiss on the tip of Bane’s cock, his lips moistened by the small bead of precome that had formed there. It tasted oddly sweet. 

He licked his lips and hovered for a second, then opened wide and took the head of Bane’s cock into his mouth. He could feel Bane’s growling moan at his sudden movement. No-one had ever done this to John and his only experience of blowjobs was what he’d seen in porn. He hadn’t expected how full his mouth felt. He sucked lightly and tried to take Bane deeper. The silky skin of Bane’s cock slid past his lips, poking at the back of his mouth. 

John slowly pulled his head up, dragging his tongue slowly against Bane. He tried to look up at Bane’s face to see what effect this was having on him. He could only see the underside of his mask, but he could see the clenching of Bane’s stomach muscles.

Licking his lips, John wrapped both his hands around the base of Bane’s cock and slowly took the head of Bane’s cock back into his mouth. He sucked slightly harder, listening intently to hear some reaction from Bane but he couldn’t hear anything. 

John sped up, moving his head up and down faster and trying to keep his teeth out of the way. He reached out blindly and found Bane’s hand. John put the hand on top of his head, feeling the fingers instantly thread into his hair but not grasping or pushing him at all. 

He could feel Bane’s balls tightening and knew he was going to come soon. The idea of Bane coming in his mouth, of him filling John’s mouth with his come, was too amazing; he pressed his own cock into the mattress and moaned wantonly around Bane’s cock. His hips rocking into the mattress, he desperately needed to come too; but right now his hands were busy, it was far more important that Bane orgasm.

Bane came with a deep, loud groan that seemed to echo around the room. Come pumped into John’s mouth, and for a split second he felt apprehensive. He remembered all those jokes about girls who spit or swallow, about how come was supposed to taste disgusting. Then it hit his tongue and all that was forgotten. If Bane’s crotch smelled overpowering then his come was the liquid form. It was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. He licked Bane’s cock as it twitched and pumped more come into his mouth. His mouth was filling up and he could feel a little stream of come leaking from his lips but he couldn’t get enough of that taste. He sucked Bane’s cock harder, trying to get more. 

The cock in his mouth gave another twitch and a drop of come dribbled past his lips. John kept the spunk in his mouth, savouring it and reached down to jerk himself off. It only took three strokes before he was coming, shooting onto Bane’s thigh as he swallowed greedily.

He stayed still for few seconds, catching his breath and then he moved away. Crawling up the bed to rest his head on the pillow next to Bane. He licked his lips, tasting more come there.

“You didn’t knot” John panted, he had no idea how to use that word in a sentence.

“You are not in heat,” Bane responded, John was glad to hear that he didn’t sound his usual calm self.

“You would give me your body,” Bane didn’t make it sound like a question, but John knew that it was. 

“Yes,” John said. It seemed stupid to say anything else at this point; he might hate his imprisonment, but he wanted Bane. They both lay there in silence, until John felt his heart return to normal. Tiredly he rolled to put his head in Bane’s neck as usual. Bane opened his arms as John arranged himself into their normal positions.

“Next time, I will be inside you, little bird.” Bane told him as he drifted off to sleep, lulled by Bane’s scent.


	10. The Uses of Alpha Scent

John woke early, his back too cold. Another of the increasingly frequent power outages must have cut the heat during the night. He pressed himself closer to Bane’s warmth. 

He felt Bane’s muscles tense and relax as he woke. They lay together, neither moving, and John wondered how last night would affect the oddly peaceful relationship the two of them had fallen into. He pulled away so he could look up into Bane’s face. The skin around his eyes was crinkled and John knew he was smiling at him. 

John looked down, smiling shyly. Nothing about Bane had changed, all John’s qualms about him remained. John bit his lip; even now he wasn’t sure that given the chance he wouldn’t try to escape from Bane again, no matter how much he enjoyed his company. 

“Habibi,” Bane said, his voice hushed, raising his hand to John’s face. John felt a wave of happiness and turned his head to press a kiss into the palm of Bane’s hand. 

“Hi,” John said uncertainly.

Bane pushed him gently onto his back, following him so that he lay on top of John. Bane’s intelligent eyes looked down at him and John felt himself squirm under the intensity of it.

“Last night..” John began, blushing as he tried to phrase his question, “when you...You didn’t taste..like I expected.” He forced himself to look into Bane’s eyes despite his embarrassment, the look he found there was unnervingly tender. 

“A consequence of our bonding that I did not imagine would affect us,” Bane said. John frowned slightly, wondering if he should be worried about quite how much the bonding had affected him. Bane’s mask was so close to his face and it made John realise quite how large the thing was. He’d been sleeping in Bane’s arms for ages, but he’d never been in this position before, as if they were lovers. He swallowed convulsively. 

Bane pushed both John’s arms above his head, pinning them with one large hand to the mattress. 

“This is the time to change your mind,” Bane told him. John gasped, he was completely surrounded by Bane, held in place and yet he knew he was safe. He could tell Bane to stop and things would go back to the way they had been; he didn’t think it was right to desire a terrorist as much as he did. He could feel Bane’s hard body above his and he wanted more. 

“I want..this,” John said.

“Then don’t move your hands,” Bane instructed, pulling away from John and letting his hands slowly slide down John’s body, giving gentle caresses with calloused fingers. John arched his back, trying to get closer to Bane but he was held in place. When the hands finally reached his hips their grip tightened momentarily and then Bane moved away, standing and walking away from the bed. He headed to the bathroom and John lay still in confusion. He had thought that Bane wanted him, and it was devastating to think he’d been rejected. He didn’t move his hands from above his head and hoped Bane would return. 

Bane came back from the bathroom, a small jar in his hand. He stood at the side of the bed, looking contemplatively down, as John lay spread out. Bane’s hesitation gave John the courage that he needed, even though he had no idea what to say to make Bane come back to bed.

“Bane, _please_ ,” John whispered. Bane got onto the bed, kneeling in between John’s legs and reaching out to stroke John’s inner thighs. His hands slowly working themselves down until they were behind John’s knees and then pushing them up so that John’s knees bent and his legs were lifted up. His hips tilted and he realised that he was completely on display to Bane.

Bane lifted one of John’s legs, hooking it over Bane’s shoulder and leaning down over John’s body. John arched up, wanting to grab onto Bane’s shoulders but he knew he shouldn’t move his arms from where Bane had placed them. His leg slithered off Bane’s shoulder and Bane gave an amused hum as he fiddled with the jar he’d brought from the bathroom. Lube, John thought wildly.

John closed his eyes, instantly more aware as Bane trailed cold, slick fingertips over his balls and down. Down until his finger was slowly circling John’s hole. He was moving so slowly and John yearned for him to do more. John tried pushing down, but Bane away ever so slightly, continuing his gentle fondling. John opened his eyes to glare at Bane, except that seemed to be what Bane had been waiting for.

“You will watch and know that it is me you have given yourself to,” Bane said, slowly pushing into John. He knew it could only be one finger, but it felt massive. John gasped, his head turning from side to side, he was overwhelmed by the sensation. He thrust his hips up, trying to find some friction against his hard cock, but there was nothing there.

He felt another slippery finger push into him. Bane leaned down, covering John’s body. John could hear Bane’s breath coming out faster through the mask, could feel the exhalations against his throat as John lay gasping.

The fingers inside him started to move, scissoring motions that John could feel stretching him out and making him groan. Bane’s cold mask rubbed against his throat, the metal scratching at him, making him shiver.

Bane’s fingers popped out of him as Bane repositioned himself. John’s cock was caught in between their stomachs, the delicious pressure making him cry out. Bane held himself away from John, supporting himself on his hands, one either side of John. 

He could feel Bane’s cock blindly pressing against him, rubbing along his cleft, repeatedly missing his hole. John felt himself let out a low whine of frustration and wiggled his hips to try and get Bane’s cock to find his hole. Bane pushed forward, his cock slipping up and hitting John’s balls. John mewled loudly, he was impatient.

Bane reached down with one hand, rearranging John’s hips and then putting John’s ankle over his shoulder. John gasped again as he felt Bane casually slip his fingers in and out of John’s ass. John looked down to see Bane holding his own cock. He could feel Bane pressing down, his cock nudging at John’s hole. 

John gasped again, the pressure and the new sensation making it difficult to breathe. He tried to draw in short, stuttering breaths as Bane pushed further into him. He gasped again, Bane was inside him, not because of the frenzy of his heat but because John had wanted this. He couldn’t see, but he could imagine Bane’s cock, huge and veined, as it pushed into him, stretching him. 

John moaned, entirely focused on the tight stretch of his ass. He writhed, his back arching and pushing his chest up uselessly. He heard Bane make an amused growl. Bane took his hand and guided it to his ass. John could feel Bane’s dick sticking into him, the head barely inside him. The thought of how much more there was to take, how filled he was going to be made his whole body shiver. He couldn’t stop it as Bane slowly and firmly pushed more of his cock into John. 

Each breath John took was a gasp as he felt his body give way to the relentless force of Bane, relishing the control that Bane had over his body. Finally he felt Bane bottom out, his hips pressing against John. 

John’s other leg was lifted onto Bane’s shoulder and John could feel the change of angle, Bane’s cock penetrating him deeper as John was spread out before him. One large hand wrapped itself around John’s cock as Bane slowly began to pull out of him. It burned deliciously and John came, the force of it sudden and unexpected as he spasmed around Bane’s cock.

He felt his whole body relax, his mind unable to focus as he felt Bane moving in and out of him. John slowly became more aware as he felt Bane move more quickly. Each thrust into him making John pant, his whole body too sensitive. 

Bane let out a deep groan and pulled out, coming in heavy spurts all over John’s stomach. The sight of his own twitching cock seemed to entrance Bane. 

John reached down to touch the hot spunk splattered over him; he wanted to taste it again. Bane batted his hand away, refusing to let John touch it. Instead Bane started to rub his come into John’s skin, spreading it up onto his chest with the palms of his hands. John gave a tired smile and let Bane continue. John wondered if Bane was trying to mark his territory by doing this; not necessary, John snorted to himself, he already smelled of Bane.

Hours later, as they trained, Barsad kept throwing oddly concerned looks at him. John wondered again if Bane had rubbed his come onto John’s skin so that he would smell more like Bane. So that everyone would know that John was Bane’s. John found he rather liked the idea.

* * *

Sometimes Barsad would not take him straight back to the apartment after they had finished working out. Instead he would take him to a small room where some of Bane’s men seemed to congregate to play cards and talk. The first time Barsad brought him, the men had stared in silence at John; they seemed friendly but almost shy of talking to him. He knew that almost all of the League of Shadows were naturalised alphas, so that meeting any omega must be an odd experience. 

The second time Barsad took him, the room had been tidied up and there was a bowl of fruit on the card table. Barsad led him to a sofa in one corner and began to tell him what he had to do to improve, what Barsad still insisted on calling, his stretches. Their conversation was interrupted when a large man with a massive scar running the length of his face and bullet belt slung across his chest approached with the fruit. He muttered something in a language that John didn’t understand to Barsad, who gave an exasperated sigh and turned back to John.

“Our brother wanted to tell you that the apples are fresh.” Barsad told him, giving him a wry look; that morning Barsad had given him a box of supplies that included fresh apples. John smiled, took an apple from the bowl and thanked the man. The stranger looked back at him, obviously embarrassed and scuttled away. Returning to the card table the seated men instantly started asking him questions in that same odd-sounding language.

“They mean you no harm,” Barsad told John, as he bit into his apple, “they never expected to meet an omega.” John nodded thoughtfully. He chewed, pondering, of course it was wrong to hold Gotham hostage like this but these men were desperate. They didn’t see themselves as freedom fighters, but men who were taking revenge on the extermination of their species.

Barsad took him to sit with the neutered alphas of the League more frequently after that. He would sometimes leave him there, returning later to take him back to the apartment. John thought about escaping again, but the neutered alphas kept a close eye on him. 

This time, when Barsad left him, the alphas were all called away minutes after Barsad left. Only one man remained behind, grinning at John from across the room. 

“You John?” The man asked with an American accent.

“Yeah,” John nodded uncomfortably. He was used to the naturalised alphas abashed attitude that stopped them from addressing him so directly.

“Must get pretty lonely up here, surrounded by these League freaks. You know they aren’t real betas, they smell like they are but..” The man trailed off, John realised with a jolt of fear that this man wasn’t a League member, and that he was a beta. He remembered the last time he had met a beta male and how disastrous that had been.

“I guess you already know that. I heard you scent like an alpha but you aren’t one. Way I heard it, you got some weird sex bond with an alpha to get his scent, that true?”

“No. It’s not!” John spat out.

“Hey, calm down. No offense,” The man said, throwing his hands up, “I was just wondering. Cos, you know, you do smell like an alpha.” The man stood up, walking towards him so that he was between John and the door. John shrugged, with the bond he should smell like Bane and so had nothing to fear.

The man sat down next to him and John reminded himself that he didn’t have to shrink back from him. 

“You know, there’s something else about you.” The man said leaning forward, his face uncomfortably close to John. He squirmed back.

“Look, man -”

“I was right!” The man interrupted, “What are you?!? You smell great under all that alpha crap!” The man sidled closer to John, his hand landing on John’s thigh. John pushed his hand off and stood up. 

“I don’t know what your problem is, but I’d better go.” John bluffed.

“C’mon, man. I’m just curious.” The man grabbed his arm, trying to pull John down onto his lap. John twisted away, his elbow flying into the man’s face with a speed and agility he didn’t know he had. Barsad’s training was paying off after all. The man managed to grab onto his arm again and John didn’t have the strength to pull away.

“Josh!” A voice called from the doorway, looking round John saw one of the naturalised alphas that often sat in here.

“Release him. Fetch Bane,” Barsad said, striding into the room. The man, Josh, let go of John at Barsad’s approach. Barsad ignored him though, his eyes scanning John for injuries. 

“Little brother?” Barsad enquired.

“I’m fine. Its not..Its not a big deal.” John answered. He hated to think what would have happened if no-one had arrived to help him; he realised that even with the bond he would always be vulnerable unless he took suppressants. 

The naturalised alpha returned with Bane, who was radiating with anger, as the man spluttered out his story in the language that League members used with one another. Just as Barsad had done, Bane walked into the room ignoring everyone until he had inspected John. 

“You should not have brought him here.” Bane said, still looking at John, who was realising that Bane might be about to kill someone and he desperately didn’t want that. He looked pleadingly at Bane trying to convince him not to do whatever brutal thing he intended. 

“Forgive me, brother.” The League alpha said. 

“Forgiveness has a price,” Bane answered, finally looking away from John, “leave us. You are cast out. You are no longer my brother.”

The man turned pale, staring in disbelief at Bane. Suddenly, he threw himself down to his knees.

“Brother, Bane, please. Let me earn forgiveness with my death.”

Bane didn’t answer, he just turned away, finally turning his attention to the beta. Josh looked confused, not seeming to understand the danger that he was in. 

“I will not kill you,” Bane told the beta, “prepare yourself for pain.”

“Hey, I didn’t do anything!” Josh started, throwing up his hands again. Bane took hold of one of his wrists. 

“This is the hand you touched him with,” Bane said as he bent one of his arms, keeping it close to his chest and then placing the betas wrist under his bent arm. Josh’s arm was completely straight, his elbow on top of Bane’s forearm. 

“Listen..” the man began, but then Bane started to move, his bent arm slowly moving higher up his chest so that Josh’s elbow was being bent backwards. Josh raised himself up onto his tip toes, trying to keep his arm straight.

“Stop! I didn’t do anything!” Bane slowly leaned back, the angle of Josh’s elbow as it was forced to bear his weight looked unnatural. There was a wet pop and Josh screamed.

John stared at what was happening feet away from him. Bane had said that he wouldn’t kill the man, which John was sure meant that he honestly didn’t plan on killing him. At the same time this was torture, and he shouldn’t let it continue. There was another wet pop; tendons snapping, his mind supplied. John felt nauseous. 

He must have looked sick because Barsad was looking at him with concern. More popping noises could just be heard under Josh’s continuous screams. He wanted to scream at Bane to stop, but then he thought of Cody, choked to death on Bane’s fingers and his own vomit. This, the beta would actually survive. 

“Bane, stop! That’s enough! Please stop!” John yelled, his voice pleading. Barsad looked at him in confusion. Bane didn’t look at him, he released the beta’s arm, instead grabbing the hand of his injured arm. The beta fell to his knees, whimpering. 

“It is enough.” Bane said, sound as calm as ever but his eyes burning with that feral gleam that John hadn’t seen in so long. He kicked the beta in the chest, sending him flying backwards. The beta’s hand remained in Bane’s fist as the skin around the elbow tore, his forearm ripping off as he was flung back. Bane stood there, holding the bloody stump of the man’s arm. John could see the bone. The beta screamed in pain and shock, staring down at a bloody stump.

John could feel his knees shake, it was too gruesome and he was going to be sick. He ran from the room, back to their apartment and straight to the bathroom. Staring down at the toilet he didn’t puke. He wished he could. He wished he could reverse what had happened. 

“I honoured your wishes. I did not kill either, for your sake,” Bane said from the doorway, John slumped onto the floor next to the toilet.

“You tortured him!” 

“As he would have tortured and raped you given the chance.”

“What about the other man, the member of the League? Why did you do that?!”

“He should not have brought a beta here. He will be dead by nightfall.”

“What? Why? How is that honouring my wishes not to kill? It doesn’t count if you just get someone else to do it” John screamed at him.

“Shame will kill him. He risked you. He will die by his own hand.”

John stared at him, anger making him breathe heavily.

“You allow a beta here” John said, part of him knew he should be quiet, no matter how angry he was he shouldn’t ever mention Talia. He just couldn’t stop himself, “Talia walks in here anytime she wants.”

“You are hardly in danger from a beta female.” Bane’s voice was colder than John had ever heard it, he could see Bane’s eyes hardening against him, but he couldn’t be quiet. 

“You just sent someone off to kill themselves for bringing a beta in here. But it's fine that you let her come in anytime she wants?” John said

Bane walked into the bathroom, crouched next to John and put his hand on John’s head. He grabbed a handful of John’s hair and forcefully pulled John’s head up so that John was made to look at Bane’s face. John’s eyes flashed with anger, it wasn’t painful but it was not gentle. 

“I am your alpha, you will not doubt me,” Bane voice was deceptively calm, his voice as steady as ever. He held John in place for a few seconds and then released him, striding quickly from the room.

John slumped back down to the floor. What did it even matter if Bane killed those men or if he spared them. Everyone in Gotham was being threatened with a neutron bomb. Defeated he put his face in his hands and stayed on the floor.


	11. A Heated Encounter

They were both quiet in bed that night, lying in each others arms but not speaking. The silence was oppressive and it was a relief when Bane left the next morning. 

Barsad unlocked the apartment door in the early afternoon, but, after briefly standing in the doorway frowning at John, he told John that today’s workout would have to be cancelled. John supposed that Bane was still angry with him and had forbidden the outing.

John tried to settle down to read, but he couldn’t concentrate. He hated this argument between him and Bane. Unable to get anything done and feeling tired, he went to lie down. It didn’t feel strange anymore to strip as soon as he entered the bedroom; it was weirder when he wore clothes in here. 

He had not been able to sleep well the night before, but he still couldn’t seem to relax. Instead he felt jittery and tense. He tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable. 

He woke with a start, not remembering when he had started to doze. His ass felt damp and relaxed. This time he recognised the symptoms; his heat was starting. Maybe this was why Barsad had cancelled their afternoon, he thought with relief. 

Instead of reaching down to feel himself he brought a finger to his lips. His skin felt so sensitive and the last time he had been too scared and confused to enjoy this feeling. He wiped a finger slowly across his bottom lip and felt a little shiver of desire. His finger slipped into his mouth and he gently suckled on it. His whole body felt electrified.

Slowly he trailed his wet fingertip down his throat and onto his chest, sending sparks across his skin wherever he touched. He pinched lightly at his own nipple and gave a low moan of shock at how good it felt. A little jolt of sensation that made his body hungry for more.

“My little omega, this heat is already giving you pleasure,” Bane’s voice rang out from the doorway, his tone amused. John sat up with a start and a rush of adrenaline. He had not been expecting Bane for hours yet. 

Bane looked almost feral, his eyes glinting wildly. John knew his heats had to affect the alpha too. Bane began to undress, his movements surprisingly slow.

“This time, omega, I shall make you beg for my knot.” Bane told him, as he sat on the edge of the bed and calmly took off his boots. It was unfair how collected Bane appeared when John was already struggling. The scent of the alpha so nearby was making John shiver and he was sure that there was more lube seeping out of him than before. 

The thought of Bane’s knot should be scary, but it was wonderful to John. He was so empty, he needed to be filled. He thought of Bane’s already large cock swelling inside him. Of Bane’s delicious come being sealed inside him. He moaned softly and reached down to touch his hole.

Bane caught his hand, gripping him tightly by the wrist. John glared at him.

“What are you -” John started, before Bane cut him off.

“No. You accept me as your alpha, but you do not trust me.” With that a naked Bane rolled John over to lie on his stomach. He felt Bane’s finger work its way into the top of the cleft of his ass and slide down until it rested just outside John’s hole.

“I will take care of you.” Bane finished, his voice soft as he plunged the finger quickly into him. John screamed, the intrusion was sudden and perfect. It was like scratching an itch he didn’t know he had. He sobbed as Bane started withdrawing his finger. He lifted his ass, raising himself to his knees, trying to follow that finger. 

“I trust you!” John panted, he didn’t know if it were true, but he knew he would say anything to get Bane’s finger back.

A hand gripped onto his hip, holding him still. 

“Tell me what you want, and perhaps I shall give it to you.” Bane said, his voice still unreasonably calm. 

“Your finger! Bane, you finger,” John cried out, already too aroused to think clearly. Bane’s hand settled in between in shoulder blades, pushing him down onto the bed. He felt Bane lean over him, his chest rubbing against John’s back as his hands gently stroked John’s sides. 

“You will take what I give you,” Bane said, his voice coming from just behind John’s head. John felt Bane’s hard cock slip in the lube between his ass cheeks. 

“Please, Bane!” John let out, his voice a harsh whisper between panted breaths. He tried to circle his hips to get Bane’s cock closer to his hole. Bane made an amused noise and sat back. 

Bane’s hands pulled John’s ass cheeks apart, and John knew he was being inspected; he widened his stance, desperate to get something inside him. He felt two fingers breach him, and he cried out again, a wild incoherent plea for more as he pushed back forcefully trying to get those fingers as deep inside him as he could. Hands gripped harshly at his hips and John was forced to be still. 

“My eager little bird, you are not in control here,” Bane said sounding strained. John could feel his legs shaking, he needed Bane so badly and Bane was so close. He was burning with desire and all he wanted was Bane’s thick and delicious cock. John released a long groan and started to rhythmically push his ass back and forward. 

Bane let out a low growl and John felt the blunt head of Bane’s cock just outside his hole. He let out a victorious yell and pushed back as hard as he could. The hands on his hips tightened again, stopping him from moving and digging cruelly into his skin, pressing into his bones. 

Bane’s cock slowly sank into him, John’s ass stretching slightly to accommodate him. John moaned as he felt Bane’s hips pressing against him, Bane’s cock deep inside him. 

John wailed as Bane pulled out slowly and then thrust back into him with one powerful thrust. Bane pounded into him setting a punishing pace, the slapping of the skin obscenely loud.

John needed to come so much, but Bane batted his hand away when he tried to reach for his own cock. Instead John babbled nonsensical words gasped out between heavy breaths, he had no idea what he was asking for or even what he was saying.

Finally Bane seemed to relent, wrapping a large hand around John’s cock. John pumped his hips, fucking himself backwards onto Bane’s cock and then forwards into Bane’s hand. He came with a frenzied yell. 

Bane pounded into him and came with a deep growl. 

John knew what to expect this time, but he couldn’t help the shiver of panic at the thought of Bane’s knot inside him. He could feel the muscles in his ass being stretched as Bane’s cock grew. 

Finally the stretching stopped and Bane maneuvered them both so they lay spooned together, John’s head rested on Bane’s large bicep, while Bane’s other hand wandered freely over John’s body, occasionally scratching him or twisting a nipple. 

Bane gave a sudden thrust of his hips and John could feel Bane coming again. John  
lay gasping in delirious ecstasy, his muscles relaxed as he felt Bane’s knot still hard inside him. Bane gave another low growl, his cock twitching. John moaned as Bane’s knot pressed into him.

Bane held him for an hour before his knot deflated and he slipped out of John. 

John was too exhausted to care about the stream of lube and come that flowed from him as Bane withdrew. 

Bane got up, leaving the bedroom wordlessly. John could hear him moving things around in the kitchenette; he was vaguely surprised that Bane knew where anything was in there, even after all this time he had seen Bane neither eat nor drink. 

Even though his ass still felt stretched, and his thighs wet, he could feel his heat returning. That feeling of emptiness that only Bane could cure. He rolled around in the damp sheet, John thought he should be humiliated at how he was behaving, but Bane accepted everything about him. 

Bane came back to bed, sitting next to John and hold out a water bottle to him.

“You must drink, little one,” Bane told him, pulling John up and tucking him under his arm. John writhed, he was surrounded by Bane’s scent and he wanted more. 

“I’m not thirsty,” John said, turning to put his head against Bane’s chest. Bane had been sweating and John opened his mouth to taste it. Nuzzling into Bane, he kissed Bane’s damp skin, trailing kisses across his chest and licking at Bane’s nipple. He could feel Bane’s back stiffen, as if he had not expected John to be so affectionate. Bane slowly pushed John back. 

“Drink, and I will give you what you need.”

“No, now,” John whined, struggling to try and get closer. Bane held him back easily and John found the water bottle in front of his nose. 

“One sip,” 

John relented and took the bottle from Bane’s hand. He reluctantly sipped the water, he wasn’t quite sure why he didn’t want the water; it just seemed so unimportant compared to getting Bane back inside him. 

Taking the water from him, Bane lifted him so that John straddled his lap. Instantly John started wriggling, trying rub Bane’s cock back to hardness. He was delighted to find that Bane was already hard again. Bane’s cock nudged at his stretched and slippery hole. John pushed down quickly and Bane slipped inside him. 

Bane pumped his hips up into John, who sat taking it, too overwhelmed by sensation as Bane’s thrusts became increasingly violent. Bane held onto his hip with one hand, and with the other he jerked John’s cock. It was too much, John felt over-sensitive and when he came it was almost painful. He slumped down, his head resting on Bane’s shoulder and passed out even as he felt Bane’s knot swelling inside him.

* * *

John woke in Bane’s arms as usual. The sheets were sticky and the room stank of sex. His whole body felt sore.

“Bane?” John said softly, pulling back to see if Bane was awake. Intelligent eyes looked up at him and he realised Bane must have been awake for awhile. “ Is it over?”

“Yes, little bird, that was your heat,” Bane said, John thought he seemed sad, but couldn’t work out why. Instead he put his head back down.

“I’m still tired,”

“Then we shall rest,” Bane told him, wrapping his arm more tightly around John.

* * *

After dozing for most of the morning John was glad when Barsad knocked to take him up to the roof for the afternoon. He was still sore and as he exercised he would feel unexpected twinges of pain. Each time that happened he would stop and repeat the movement, revelling in the feeling because he knew that Bane had put it there.

* * *

“Get dressed,” Bane said as John finished his breakfast. John frowned, Bane always seemed determined that John spend as much time naked as possible. 

“Come with me,” Bane instructed, heading for the door when John was ready. John paused, his life had fallen into such a clear routine and he’d spent so much time in their little apartment that he was apprehensive about any change to his schedule. Bane appeared to sense his reticence.

“I wish for you to accompany me,”

“Where to?”

“This morning, to the courts.” Bane answered.

* * *

John knew that everyone was staring at them from the moment they arrived at the courthouse. Bane strode through the crowd, his hand on John’s back possessively, to a column near the back of the room. John thought that he must come here often and always stand there, from the way that people moved out of his way, as if they knew where he was headed. 

Bane leaned back against the column lazily and turned his attention to John.

“Kneel beside me, little bird.” John’s eyes widened in surprise and he looked around to see who had heard Bane’s command to him. He had never thought that Bane would ask him to do this in public.

“There is no shame in submitting to me,” Bane told him, taking out a small piece of cloth from the pocket of his large coat and putting it on the floor beside him. John stared down at this thin cushion. He had no idea what Bane would do if he refused him. He chewed his lip thoughtfully.

His face flushing with embarrassment, he sank to his knees. Bane’s hand was instantly on his head, gently petting him. He couldn’t bear to look around and see these strangers see him. He stared resolutely at the floor, clenching his jaw and hoping that no-one he knew saw him like this.

The judge of this kangaroo court banged his gavel and proceedings began. Bane pulled his head closer, so that John’s cheek rested against his thigh. He could feel Bane still petting him, except now it felt like he was making patterns in his hair. John imagined if he weren’t here Bane would be knotting his string instead. The thought made him smile, nothing had changed just because they were in public; Bane would still look after him.

* * *

Bane started to take him to the courts a few times every week. There didn’t seem to be any pattern to which days Bane wanted his company, but every time he knelt on the floor at Bane’s feet, Bane’s resting on his head and gently playing with his hair.

Bane would return him to the hotel and leave him to eat lunch and then train with Barsad. Their evenings remained the same as ever; John sitting peacefully at Bane’s feet in their lounge. In bed Bane would hold him down and fuck him each night, his touch reverent and strong. John fell asleep each night happy to be surrounded by Bane. 

John knew that he had never been happier than he was now. He even knew that he was close to being in love with Bane, but he could not love someone who held him and his city captive. No matter how much he enjoyed this life he had never chosen Bane and that galled him.


	12. A Bitter Parting

John was already naked, lounging on top of the bed and reading when Bane returned that evening. John was too engrossed in his reading to notice Bane’s arrival until he looked up and saw Bane standing in the bedroom doorway, a strange expression on his face. John thought he could pretty much always read Bane these days, but this look was a new one.

“You look content,” Bane told him.

“It’s a good book,” John answered. Bane’s eyes crinkled and John knew he was smiling at him. 

“You are happy here.” Bane said with one of his vague question-statements. John chewed his lip. As fond as he had grown of Bane he could never forget that he was a prisoner here.

“I am as happy as I can be here.”

“You wish for new quarters?” Bane asked. John sighed, part of him wondering if Bane would really move his headquarters just because John didn’t like the look of this hotel.

“I wish..I wish for the freedom to choose.” Bane stood completely still, his usual confidence seeming to desert him.

“John,” Bane began, John snapping to attention as he heard Bane address him by his name for the first time. “No-one here has a choice, we are all about to burn.”

A cold wave of fear shot through John, he didn’t understand what Bane was talking about but he suspected it was to do with more than just their bond.

“What do you mean? What are you saying? Is this about the bomb?” John asked, increasingly frenzied. He’d spent so much time conflicted about his feelings about the man Bane was in front of him and Bane the terrorist, he doubted he’d ever actually addressed the situation so bluntly.

“The bomb will explode. It is only a matter of time.” Bane said, his eyes beseeching, “we will all die here; there is no choice for any of us here.”

“What? So all that talk about liberating Gotham, that was all shit! The bomb is on a countdown? This, this is a suicide mission?! Why? Why are you doing this?”

“It is suicide, but there is more involved here than that. Talia’s -”

“Talia,” John interrupted, so angry that he interrupted Bane for the first time, “You’re killing us all for her?” He could hear his own jealousy in his ears, but he couldn’t stop. Bane was silent for a few, long seconds.

“She was all I had for many years,” Bane finally said. John felt his jealousy explode. Bane was planning on killing both of them, and all of Gotham, for Talia. He felt like his heart was being stamped on. He breathed deeply, more affected by this than he had thought possible. He always knew that Talia was higher in Bane’s affections than he was, but this hurt too much.

“So, Talia wants to blow up Gotham and kill us all, and we’ve just been sitting around waiting for the bomb to explode?!? Well, I want a choice, I choose not being here with you. Let me go!”

Bane looked stricken, like he wanted to continue to argue, but John knew that he had nothing left to say to Bane. This hurt too much. 

“You are more to me than just an omega.” He paused. John didn’t understand what he was talking about; Bane had only ever wanted him because he was an omega. He was too angry to think about it clearly.

“You have your choice,” Bane finished, John had never seen Bane looking so defeated as he walked out of the room. 

Minutes later Barsad arrived and asked John if he wanted to go back to his own apartment. It was obvious that Barsad had no idea what was happening, but John agreed, leading Barsad out of the rooms he’d called home for so long. 

He could feel Barsad’s apprehension as they stepped out of the hotel. 

“Little brother,” Barsad began, but John interrupted him.

“Don’t!” Unlike Bane, Barsad didn’t listen.

“People, they will always argue and fight. Go back, scream at Bane but now you are putting yourself in danger. You must think of your scent”

“Yeah, well, I think I have enough of his scent that I could pass as an alpha for now, but I’ve got suppressants in my apartment, so I’ll go back on those in the morning.”

Barsad stopped walking, grabbing John’s elbow so that he was turned around. Barsad looked outraged. 

“They will harm the baby.”

“What?!” John said with an incredulous laugh. Barsad stared hard at him, until the smile slipped off his face, “What are you talking about? What baby?”

“He did not tell you.” Barsad stated, his outrage morphing into confusion. 

“Tell me what?” John asked, clearly Bane had not told him something important, but he had no idea what it could have to do with babies. 

“John,” Barsad said, cocking his head and releasing John’s elbow, “why do you think the betas are so desperate to get rid of all the omegas? Why was your life at risk to begin with?”

“I was told it was so that betas would -”

“Yes, yes,” Barsad interrupted, he looked flustered and there was even the hint of a blush starting on his cheeks. He was always so calm and composed, even when he was fighting, that John felt uneasy about what could possibly cause this reaction.

“They sterilise the alphas,” Barsad continued after a moment’s hesitation, “and those that cannot be sterilised, they kill.”

“So you’re saying that my life was in danger because I couldn’t be sterilised?” John queried, still not sure why this was so distressing to Barsad. Barsad looked relieved, like he’d grasped some difficult concept without needing too much tedious explanation.

“I’m not sure why that’s relevant.” John said, Barsad’s shoulders slumped, his entire face was turning a light shade of red.

“You carry Bane’s child.” John snorted in derision.

“I’m a man, Barsad!” 

“Obviously,” Barsad said with a huff, “and you are an omega.”

* * *

There wasn’t much else to say as they walked back to John’s apartment. John wanted to dismiss everything that Barsad had said as bullshit, that it was obvious that he wasn’t pregnant. Just as he had initially dismissed being told he was an omega.

His apartment had been broken into, but nothing apart from the TV seemed to have been taken. Barsad sat at the kitchen table while John rifled through the kitchen cabinets to see if there was any food.

“I will bring you some supplies tomorrow,” Barsad said, still looking uncomfortable. 

“I..” John wanted to turn down Barsad’s offer, that he should live as everyone else in Gotham was and he should have to scrounge for food too, except it was so easy to accept Barsad’s offer. “Thanks. Look, do you think you could find a pregnancy test?”

Barsad shifted in his chair.

“You do not believe me?”

“Uh, its not that, it’s just...I didn’t know I could get pregnant. I just need some kind of visual confirmation.” Barsad nodded slowly.

“I will try, little brother.” He said, rising from the chair. Together they walked to the front door. John had no idea how to say goodbye to Barsad, he was probably the closest friend that John had ever had. Not, John thought sadly, that that was really saying a lot. John had an urge to hug him, but they had never really touched except for during John’s training. 

He wanted to tell Barsad how desperately alone he felt without Bane, how he needed him to stop the anger and confusion. How he was never going to sleep properly again, without the security of Bane’s warm body around him.

He didn’t say anything. Instead the two men looked at each other awkwardly until finally Barsad spoke. 

“Come home soon, John.”

* * *

He woke up alone and in his own bed. Part of him felt he should get up and track down Gordon, there must be other policemen who were still out there, and it was John’s duty to join them.

All that felt like another life, though. Before he knew he was an omega, before he knew about Gordon’s duplicity. Saving Gotham mattered less when he felt betrayed by everyone he’d ever trusted, indeed even the society he had struggled so hard to conform to, had betrayed him.

Even surrounded by his old colleagues he couldn’t be certain that one of them wouldn’t smell he was an omega. He shuddered to think what would happen then. He stayed in his apartment.

* * *

Barsad returned, just before lunch, with tins of fruit, soup and unspecified meat in a sauce that he refused to translate the ingredients of. He also had three pregnancy tests.

That afternoon John took all three of the tests. They were meant for beta women, but when they all came in positive, John doubted that it mattered. 

He was definitely pregnant.

* * *

“I miss him,” John told Barsad as they sat across the kitchen table from each other. He would come to John’s apartment every afternoon, as if this time had been set aside to spend with John, no matter if they were training on the roof or sitting in John’s kitchen. 

Barsad seemed to have no idea how to socialise; he seemed awkward each time he arrived, like he expected John to turn him away; he seemed awkward each time he left, like he wasn’t sure what the right formula for saying goodbye to someone was.

He would bring things for John, usually more food, and John hoped he knew that he needn’t, that he would be welcome without bearing gifts. Today he had brought a thermos of hot mint tea.

“You are bondmates, of course you miss him,” Barsad replied, taking a sip of the tea that was still ridiculously hot. 

“How is he?” John asked, he didn’t want to make Barsad uncomfortable but for all the friendliness he felt for the man, it was still Bane that connected them.

“He is..” Barsad paused, “he is without you.”

John hummed and put sugar in his tea. Barsad’s English was not perfect, but sometimes his little, disjointed sentences could speak volumes.

* * *

He had been away from Bane just over a week when Barsad told him that transport had been arranged to get him out of Gotham. They would collect him later that evening, no time to pack properly or to think things through. Barsad thought he would have to leave in less than an hour. 

“Little brother, you do not have long to think, but choose wisely.”

John didn’t feel like it was even a choice. The past week without Bane had been a meaningless grey blur. He didn’t know when the bomb would go off, but he knew he’d rather spend whatever time was left with Bane. He followed Barsad through the streets of Gotham and back to his home.

* * *

Bane was sitting in an armchair, staring at the floor, when John opened the door. There was a stillness to him, like he had been sat there, in contemplation, for ages. 

“You have returned.” Bane said, finally looking up at John. 

“I wanted to ask you a question.” John said, refusing to acknowledge that he had returned to Bane, he wasn’t sure how long he was going to be staying.

“You missed the transport,” Bane said, he looked so emotional that John moved forward to comfort him.

“I..I couldn’t go,” John said, sitting down on Bane’s lap, and putting an arm around his shoulders. He knew Bane was large, but after a week’s absence, it surprised him again how big Bane was. How safe he felt sitting here. 

“When I left, did you know I was pregnant?” John asked, this past week that question had constantly been on his mind. He had been so angry with Bane when he left, that he had chosen Talia’s plots over a chance at a life together, now he knew he was pregnant it seemed like even more of a betrayal. 

“I could not be certain. The mask hinders my sense of smell. I only knew something was different about you. Is it certain?”

“Yes.”

Bane pulled John to him, holding him close.

“John, I was set upon this path long before I knew you. I have always welcomed the detonation of the bomb, the cleansing fire, I have worked towards this goal for many years.” His hand fell to John’s stomach, his fingers caressing John through his shirt. John saw that Bane’s eyes were damp with tears. 

“Things are in motion that are unstoppable, no matter what I wish for now.” Bane’s voice was broken and he looked desolate.

“You should have left Gotham by now.” Bane said, still holding onto him tightly, “Then you would both be safe.” John was torn to see Bane so destroyed. He had only thought about returning to Bane, but now he realised that he should be worrying about their baby. He would have to leave Gotham because he knew, absolutely, that he wanted to live long enough to give birth to their child. 

He felt another wave of anger at Bane for creating this terrible situation. 

“I’ll leave, I’ll take the next transport out.”

“There are no more. There is nothing left to do but die. The bomb will go off tomorrow morning.”

John pushed away from Bane in horror.

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Bane answered, holding onto John as he tried to stand. John swung his fist at Bane’s face, not caring if he hit the mask. Bane grabbed his hand long before his punch landed. John slapped the side of Bane’s face, knowing that he was allowing the blows to fall, that he could stop John at any time. 

“How could you?! You’ve killed us! You knew we were all going to die and you bonded with me and you got me pregnant, knowing we were all going to die in few months anyway.” He was slapping the side of Bane’s head, so that he could hear the smack of his hand against Bane’s skin.

“Why couldn’t we be enough for you? You talk about alphas and omegas being oppressed, but here I am saying I want to be with you, that I want a family, but you’re the reason we’re going to die!” John screamed, trying to hit Bane as hard as he could. This time Bane grabbed his hand.

“Habibi, you have never said that before.” Bane said, his eyes full of tenderness and unshed tears. John pulled his hands from Bane’s grasp and threw both his arms around Bane’s neck, burying his face against his neck and breathing in his comforting scent. 

Bane reacted slowly, carefully placing his arms around John and pressing him to his chest. 

“Little bird, you are everything. We just met too late,” Bane said, gently rubbing John’s back as he spoke.

“Stay with me tonight,” Bane continued. John stiffened, he was so angry with Bane, but, if this was to be his last night alive, he didn’t want to spend his last few hours angry and alone. He’d rather be with Bane. He relaxed back into Bane’s embrace, and whispered his consent. 

Bane stood, his arms lifting John as he locked his legs around Bane’s waist, and Bane walked towards their bedroom. John kept his face to Bane’s neck, he had been so angry, so emotional and now he just felt drained. He couldn’t quite believe that he was going to die in the morning, it seemed too surreal to even comprehend. 

“I missed you,” John whispered.

“You were gone too long, little bird,” Bane said, as he sat down on the bed. It felt so strange to be back in their bedroom and still have his clothes on. John began to strip, pulling off his sweater and undoing the buttons of his shirt. Bane made no move to help him, he sat still under John, his eyes fixed on John’s newly revealed chest. John rose to take off the rest of his clothes. He saw that Osito had been moved from the bedside table, and now sat in the bed, on John’s pillow.

“Do you remember the first time you told me that omegas were traditionally always naked in their bedrooms?” John asked, looking down into Bane’s sad eyes.

“Of course,” Bane said, reaching his hand out to stroke John’s side and holding onto his hip. 

“I thought you were joking.”

“I know,” Bane moved his hand to John’s stomach, rubbing it with his fingertips even though it was still almost entirely flat. John didn’t want to think about his baby, who would never get a chance to be born. He twisted so that Bane’s hand fell back to his hip. 

“You could stop the bomb,” John said. Bane sighed.

“Lie with me,” Bane evaded, John lay down. Bane pulled him back, so that they spooned together. Anytime that John had imagined their reunion it had been passionate and steamy. If he had ever pondered how he would spend his last night on earth, it would not have been an early night. Right now, though all he wanted to do was touch Bane and everything seemed too fragile and emotional to do more than simply lie together.

* * *

John woke, already annoyed with himself for falling asleep. It was dark out, but John didn’t think that he’d slept for long. 

“Bane?” He whispered.

“Little bird?” Bane answered quietly. 

“Tell me what life would be like without the bomb, if we could leave tomorrow, where would we go?”

Bane’s hand slipped down to John’s belly.

“I would want our child to be born somewhere we could be free. Somewhere we could live without fear.”

“Are there places like that?” John interrupted. When he answered John could hear the amusement in Bane’s voice. 

“Yes, habibi, it is rare, but possible. The Headquarters of the League is such a place, but there are others. Communities of naturalised alphas living in seclusion. I had always thought such men cowards, to not fight back against those that had destroyed them. Now...I don’t know what I would be, if not a fighter.”

“A father,” John supplied, trying to keep the bitterness from his voice. He put his hand on top of Bane’s and interlaced their fingers. He didn’t want his last evening to be filled with recriminations. 

“Would you still want me when I was fat?”

“Fat with our child. I could not imagine you more perfect.” Bane’s voice sounded strained. John resisted the urge to turn and face him. To try and read the expression in his eyes.

“I would remove the mask. Without Venom I would not be as strong, would you still want me?” Bane asked. John felt tears in his eyes. 

“Always.” John whispered, his body shook. How could Bane lie there and tell him that everything he wanted would happen, if only it weren’t for Bane’s bomb?

John didn’t want his last night alive to be filled with bitterness. Instead he wanted to do something that had always made him forget his troubles.

“Can I..I want to suck you.” John said, he wasn’t sure that he really did, but he knew he could lose himself in the delicious scent of Bane’s musk. He didn’t wait for Bane’s answer, he dived under the sheets and began undoing Bane’s pants. The irresistible scent hit him like a drug as soon as he pulled Bane’s clothes away. He was going to die tomorrow and the only person he wanted to spend his last hours with was Bane. 

Bane was only half-hard as John put him into his mouth, holding still while Bane hardened. 

He could hear Bane groan as he gave a slight thrust of his hips, trying to get John to move. John suckled at the tip. His mouth tasted of Bane’s slightly sweet precome, he moaned softly around Bane’s cock; he’d missed this taste. It made him realise that this was probably the last time he would taste Bane. 

He threw his head down, trying to get as much of Bane into his mouth as possible, swallowing as the cock hit the back of his mouth. He heard Bane’s surprised deep breath. John didn’t want to think anymore; he pulled up sharply and just as quickly took Bane back into his mouth. He couldn’t think anymore as he facefucked himself onto Bane’s cock. 

Bane’s orgasm was a surprise to him, the come pumping down his throat so that he had to pull back to taste it properly. Come splattered onto his tongue and it was just as wonderful as John had remembered. 

Bane pulled him up, the come still in his mouth and laid him onto his back. He pushed John’s legs apart and reached a slippery finger behind John’s balls. John hadn’t realised how close he was to coming until that finger slowly breached him. 

“ _Bane,_ ” he gasped out as the finger began to slide in and out of him. 

“My bed has been empty without you, habibi.” Bane told him, staring down at his face and letting his other hand roam John’s body in gentle caresses. 

“Come for me now,” Bane said, and as if on command, John came. Bane rubbed his stomach gently, sliding his finger through the come there. The motions seemed to engross him as John’s heart finally stopped racing. 

Still panting, John moved so that he could fall asleep with Bane surrounding him.

* * *

John woke as Bane closed the bedroom door behind him as he came back into the room. 

“Is it time?” John asked as he sat up.

“No, Talia was here, she was worried that her colleagues suspected her. She wanted my protection.”

“Oh..You’re leaving.”

“No. She is safe. I sent her away.”

John blinked in the darkness. For the first time Bane had chosen him over Talia.

“Come back to bed.” John called out, as he shuffled back to give Bane more room. As soon as he lay down, John clambered up so that he was lying on top of Bane. He smiled down at him, it was too dark to see Bane’s eyes clearly but he imagined they were looking back at him. 

“I love you,” John said, still smiling down at the shadowed and masked face. He leaned down and kissed the center of Bane’s mask. 

Bane lay completely still under him. John waited, but there didn’t seem to be any reaction coming. He moved to get off Bane. 

Bane grabbed his arm and held him in place. 

“Habibi,” he said softly, a hand coming up to cup John’s face, the thumb pressing against his lips in a ghost of a kiss. John turned to kiss the palm of Bane’s hand. 

“I love you,” John repeated, and kissed the inside of Bane’s wrist, before giving it a small nip. Bane growled at him, running his other hand down John’s side in a gentle caress then sliding his hand up again, his fingernails scratching at John lightly and making his skin shiver. 

John felt a surge of _want_. He wanted Bane to hold him down and fuck him with his fat cock and look at him with his intelligent eyes.

“ _Bane_ ,” he whined.

Bane rolled over, pushing John onto his back.

“I want you,” Bane told him, opening John’s legs and raising them up to rest John’s ankles on his shoulders. 

“ _Yes,_ ” John began to say but the word turned into a hiss as Bane started to stroke his hole. 

Bane reached for the lube and slowly worked John open, his thick fingers spreading John more slowly than ever before. By the time that Bane began to gently slid his cock into him, John was nearly ready to come.

“No, not yet,” Bane told, his voice ridiculously calm to John’s ears, he squeezed the base of John’s cock, stopping his orgasm. John howled in frustration. Bane was unmoved, his thrusts slower and more tender than they had ever been before.

When they both came John found he was crying, as wonderful as it was to feel Bane inside him it had felt like a goodbye.

John lay panting as Bane maneuvered them so that John had his head on Bane’s chest.

“For many years I thought that the only redemption I would find was through Talia. That has not been true for some time.” Bane’s voice was hushed as he spoke into John’s hair.

“It was her father who pulled me from the Pit. He was an alpha and leader of the League of Shadows. The beta woman he loved had been condemned, unbeknownst to him, to the Pit and there she gave birth to Talia. 

Talia seeks revenge for the death of her father but I, I must repay my debt to her father. Gotham must burn, it was his wish and without him..Without him I would have never lived, I would have never had you. I must avenge his murder, I must fulfil his wishes; everything I cherish I owe to him.” Bane said, his handing settling onto John’s cheek.

“Forgive me, habibi.”

John closed his eyes. He couldn’t forgive Bane but at least this stung less than thinking Bane was blindly following Talia’s orders. He turned his face to kiss Bane’s palm.

* * *

They didn’t stay in bed much longer, instead they walked to City Hall in the dawn light. The streets were deserted and the city still. John reached out to hold Bane’s hand; he stopped walking to stare down at John’s smaller hand grasping hold of his own. 

John could hear him drawing in a breath, knew that Bane was going to pull away. He didn’t, he nodded, still looking down at their joined hands. They resumed their walk.

Talia was waiting for them when they arrived, her eyes flicking down to their hands and her face blank. She followed them as Bane took John upstairs to room with large windows overlooking the street below. 

“You are expecting trouble, brother?”

“Yes, I must go.” Bane answered her, his eyes not leaving John. He stroked his fingers along John’s cheek and pressed his thumb to his lips. John’s eyes widened as he understood that Bane was saying goodbye, he did not expect to see John again. 

He put his own hand on top of Bane’s, pressing his hand into his face. He wished there was anything else left to say. Wished there was more time.

Bane turned and left. John pressed his eyes closed, if he had to die today he would rather do it now, rather than waiting around for the inevitable without Bane.

“If he truly loved you, do you think he would let you die?” Talia asked, her voice cutting through John’s calm. He desperately didn’t want to spend his last moments listening to all his worst fears being thrown at him. “I suppose you were wonderful entertainment while he tortured Gotham. Useful, with all the power outages, to have his own bed warmer.”

John headed for the door. 

“I could kill you right now. Bane would never know that his pet died a little earlier than expected.” Talia called out. Turning, he saw Talia was playing with a small knife.

“You’ve already killed me, you crazy bi -” John was cut off by the sounds of an explosion.

Talia rushed to the window, John hesitated and went to another window. Below he saw the streets were full of people fighting. He saw Bane, smashing his way through the crowd. He rested his forehead against the glass; the world was going to remember Bane as a monster. He was so much more than that and most betas would never even know.

The crowd in front of Bane seemed to part and Batman was before him. John gasped, if anyone could stop the bomb, it was him. There was a chance that they would be saved after all, but Batman might kill Bane first. 

It was nothing like their first fight. Batman surging forward, Bane clearly overwhelmed. As they fought they moved closer to City Hall, until finally John couldn’t strain to see them anymore.

Talia must have been watching them too, as she decided to move just then. She came over to John, who tensed in preparation for an attack. She spat at him, her saliva landing on his cheek. He wiped himself with his sleeve as she wordlessly left. The one good thing about the bomb, John thought, was that it would kill her. 

He turned back to the window, gazing down. They must know that the bomb was due to go off today, it was too much of a coincidence that Gothamites had chosen to make a stand today. 

Talia ran out of City Hall. John stared after her, confused, then rushed from the room. He didn’t have to stay there just to ease Bane’s mind. There was smoke in the stairwell. He ran through it, searching for some trace of Bane.

He was slumped against a wall. His mask was damaged, John couldn’t see any wounds but Bane seemed barely conscious. 

“Bane?” John called out as he ran to him, the place was deserted apart from them. He knelt above him, Bane’s clothes looked singed and he smelled strongly of smoke.

“You have to wake up, Bane! Do you understand? Bane?” John was yelling in his face, tears coming to his eyes. So many people were about to die, but it was so unfair that he was to be robbed of his last few minutes with his alpha. Tears streamed down face. Bane stirred a little, his eyes still closed.

“Please,” John implored, lifting Bane’s head onto his lap, “please don’t die.”

“Little bird,” Bane said, his voice clear, his eyes shut, “you are crying for me.” He sounded surprised. John tried to reconnect the tubes on his mask, some parts were too damaged, but it looked a bit better. He stroked the small part Bane’s cheek that was accessible above the mask.

“How long do we have?” John asked, his voice unsteady. Bane breathed heavily, the mask hindering him. He blinked his eyes open, closing them immediately. 

“I don’t know, I was unconscious. We are close. Five minutes, perhaps a few more.” They sat in silence, Bane’s laboured breathing slowly returning to normal. He struggled to open his eyes, finally managing to keep them open and gaze up at John. 

John smiled sadly down at him, petting at Bane’s scalp.

“Habibi, I do not deserve your love, but I do love you,” Bane said, his eyes glazed with pain. 

“My alpha,” John murmured. Outside people started yelling, a cheer. John had no idea how, but he knew it meant the bomb had failed. The cheers grew louder. 

He had to move Bane, he couldn’t let anyone find him. The cheering seemed to rouse Bane, who understood what it meant just as John did.

“We have to get away from here.” John said, trying to pull Bane up. He stood easily, although he still looked dazed. He pushed John gently away from him and, after a few breaths, looked completely steady. 

“No, first you must make a choice. Come with me now and I will not let you go again. Or leave now and have your freedom.”

“If I..if I come...will it be like we talked about last night?” John asked, he wanted to be with Bane so much, but he would not follow a terrorist around the world. Bane looked at him gravely, John wanted to reach out and touch him, but he knew this answer was too important.

“My debts are paid. You and the child are my only concern.” Bane looked like he was in pain, but John didn’t know if it was physical or from how long it was taking for John to give him an answer.

“Then..” John started, he had thought to ask more questions. He needed to know that Bane would never do anything like this again, but, for right now what Bane had said was enough. He threw himself into Bane’s arms. 

Bane slowly wrapped his arms around him, lowering his face to John’s head. 

“John Blake,” he said softly, “chooses to be mine.” John smiled against Bane’s vest.

“Yes,” John answered, “I do”.

Bane pushed him back again, holding on tightly to his arm. His eyes full of wonder. 

“Then come with me,” Bane said. John smiled up at him and nodded. As Bane led him out John had no idea how they were going to escape Gotham, but he knew that Bane would be able to get them away. He knew that the two of them could finally be free to have a life and a family together.


End file.
